


Stronger than Time.

by Callendra



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Different time periods, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Kid Papyrus, Kid Sans, Middle Age like era, Post-War, Pre-War, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Undertale Freeform, a bit of politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-11-29 21:18:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11449221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callendra/pseuds/Callendra
Summary: You meet two skeleton kids a few months before the war is declared between humans and monsters. They are torn from you after the war is over. You wake up from a spell centuries later with the determination to find out what happened to them.





	1. Before the War: Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there. This is my third Undertale fiction. I hope that you will enjoy it. Have a nice read!

The village was rather quiet by this early evening. The stalls displaying vegetables and fruits, raw meat and fish, clothes or tools had closed already. You had been working in the tanner shop the whole day and only then could you make your way to the farm for the milk you had asked Henry to keep for you. He was a compassionate, tolerant merchant, a man after your own heart.

Walking down the earthy street, you spotted a little grey silhouette, seemingly only wearing a piece of cloth to cover its body. Upon approaching the little buddy who seemed to be looking all around itself in search for something, you realized it was a tiny skeleton. One could never be completely sure with monsters, but you guessed this was a child, judging the lost and innocent expression on its bony face. You glanced around, looking for the kid's parents. Nothing. Unwilling to leave a child alone at nightfall, you walked closer.

“Hello. Are you lost?” you asked in your gentlest voice.

The tiny skeleton turned its face towards you, visibly startled, before he smiled at you, nodding. “YES! I WANT MILK! BUT I DONT KNOW WHERE IT IS!” his voice beamed.

You let out a soft chuckle. “How fortunate, this is where I am going too. If you want, I can bring you there with me.” you offered.

“WOWIE! TAKE ME TO THE MILK NICE HUMAN!” he agreed excitedly.

Nodding and smiling, you took his hand as he extended it to you and resumed your journey to the farm, this time with the tiny skeleton. You had never seen such an adorable little being. All of him was radiating with eagerness and liveliness. He was a tiny, skeletal ray of sunshine. Which contrasted strongly with the rags he was wearing. Your own gown wasn't rich, a simple villager dress even though you could have been wearing luxurious attires if you had wished to. But you had chosen a different path, you had left the capital after all. Yet, your simple dress almost looked rich next to the torn and dirty piece he had thrown over his body. Not to mention his bones themselves: grey with dirt. Poor little thing.

“What is your name, little one?” you inquired softly. You had to know what had happened to him.

“I AM THE STRONG PAPYRUS!” he replied immediately, rising his chin and swelling his little chest proudly. “WHAT IS YOURS HUMAN?”

'Yes, you must be very strong, little Papyrus.' you thought to yourself before replying. “Very nice to meet you, Strong Papyrus. I am ____. Tell me, are you alone?” you last question was laced with worry, as your fingers tightened ever so slightly around his own.

“I'M HAPPY TO MEET YOU TOO, NYEH HEH HEH. OH NO, I AM WITH MY BIG BROTHER, SANS!” he assured, his little laugh making you smile.

At his answer, you looked around again. Except a few humans crossing the streets, the village was empty. No trace of his brother. “Oh, I see. Where are you living with your brother?”

“SANS FOUND US A LITTLE SHED, WE SLEEP THERE AT NIGHT. IT'S JUST OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE, DO YOU WANT TO SEE?” he offered enthusiastically.

You frowned worryingly at that, for two reasons. First because you knew that shed, and it was no place to live. Second because this little fellow was way too trusting: inviting you to his little refuge, visibly not even thinking that you could have been dangerous. Where was his brother?! Not wanting to sadden the little monster, you opted for a diplomatic answer.

“That would be lovely, Papyrus, some other time. For now, we will get this milk and we will look for your brother. We don't want him to worry, right?” you smiled at him, and he nodded fiercely.

On your way to the farm, you tried to get the little skeleton to talk more: how old was he? Five apparently. And his brother was nine. What were they doing in this human village? Sans had 'zapped' them there, as he had said. Where were their parents? His joyful demeanour had melted a little and you had feared the worst when his eye-sockets had started to water. You quickly told him that he didn't have to answer. You could ask his brother.

He seemed to be just as interested in you as you were in him. He kept asking back all your questions: you were twenty six, you lived here and worked for the tanner, you had left the capital to live a simpler life but didn't elaborate, your parents were dead but you still had an uncle at the capital who did research on magic. Despite your worry for Papyrus, you were having a really good time.

“let go of my brother, human.” a menacing voice rose behind you.

You released Papyrus' hand and turned around to face a taller, wider skeleton dressed in an even dirtier rag. You watched as the little brother ran to him, wrapping his tiny arms around him. Meanwhile, Sans' glowing blue eye never left you.

“what do ya think you're doin'? where were ya takin him?” he inquired grimly, his stance clearly showing that he would not hesitate to attack if you made the wrong move.

“I... I didn't mean any harm, I am sorry.” you lifted your hands in a peaceful gesture. “Papyrus was looking for some milk, I walked to the farm with him.” you explained carefully, pointing towards said farm. Despite his age and height, Sans was intimidating. He had to be.

He quickly glanced towards the farm, as if to verify your words, before he glared back at you. “leave us alone, buddy. i don't wanna see ya near my brother again, imma clear?” As you only nodded, Papyrus turned to his brother still hugging him but looking at you confusedly. “come on paps, let's get ya some milk.”

He was about to teleport the both of them away when Papyrus pushed himself away from him and ran back to you. “THANK YOU ____! I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN RIGHT? SAY YES! YOU CANT REFUSE ANYTHING TO THE STRONG PAPYRUS!”

Getting on your knees to be at eye level with him, you smiled. Only for him to rush forward and hug you tightly, eliciting a light laugh of delight from you. You delicately pressed your hands on his back. “If you really want it, Papyrus, then I can't say no to you.” you assured, before looking up at his brother.

Sans was locked in place, visibly taken aback by his brother's behaviour, distressed also. His blue eye both gleamed with fear for his brother and intimidation for you. If you had the bad idea to look threatening to his dear brother's life, he would end you. You simply smiled reassuringly at him, while the adorable Papyrus was expressing his joy with a hearty “WOWIE!”

Finally he let go of you and you noticed how his white cheekbones had turned a soft pink at your answer. He couldn't get any cuter. You let him run back to his older brother, rising your eyebrow as he went past him and headed to the farm. Immediately, Sans scolded him so he would stay by his side.

“Sans! Hey, wait.” you called him and went closer, crouching in front of him. He stared at you suspiciously, clearly on his guard. Gosh this was reassuring. “Are you two alright? He told me you were on your own. Do you have enough food?” you asked with obvious concern.

He narrowed his eye-sockets slightly at you. “that's none of ya business, buddy. i told you to leave us alone.”

“I know, and I will. You are safe. I just want to make sure you will be alright... If you ever need anything: food, water, a shelter... come to my house. It is the last one before the forest. I can see that you are strong enough to take care of your brother and yourself... but if anything goes wrong... please consider it. For your brother. It's alright to call for help, you know?” you were trying your best to convince the little skeleton that you had nothing but good intentions.

Sans' blue eye dissipated and his glowing white dots reappeared in his sockets. Besides that, he was still gauging you with distrust. Without another word for you, he called for his little brother – who trotted back to him – and they both disappeared in a 'zap', just like Papyrus had described it.

 

During the days that followed, you didn't come across the skeleton brothers again. Yet, they were almost constantly on your mind. They didn't have money and they didn't work, they barely had something to call home: how could they survive? Papyrus was too young, too naïve to provide. Surely, he had wanted to help his big brother by bringing milk back, and he had put himself at risk in the process. Sans, you were sure, was doing all the work. Probably stealing with his teleportation ability. This wasn't a life. You felt helpless, but you couldn't have forced your assistance on them. You just really hoped they were going to be okay.

On the fourth day, you started to notice that loads of bread and vegetables were missing in your storage. Too big to be eaten by mice. Your first thought was for the monster kids and although it pained you that Sans would rather steal than take on your offer, you were relieved to think that they wouldn't be starving. You didn't try to catch Sans in the act or show in any way that you were aware of the deeds.

Sitting by the fire, you were waiting for the cooking pot to heat up the soup you had made for yourself that night. Multitude of candles were lighting up the main room of your little house, bathing it in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. You were humming a little to yourself, stirring the vegetables in the huge container. You would make sure to leave some for them. After eating and cleaning yourself, you went to your little bedroom, waiting for slumber to take you.

“Sans, I want to stop.” a whiny, high-pitched but rather quiet voice awoke you.

“try to sleep, paps, you'll wake her up.” another voice, a bit deeper but even quieter, reprimanded.

“But I don't want to steal from the human any more...” he whimpered.

Although it was rather quiet, you distinctively heard the sigh that followed. “i know... but we have to. i don't like this more than ya.”

This time, you got up from your bed. You silently lit a candle and made your way to the storage stealthily, concealing the light of the flame as much as you could. You could still hear them whispering as you got to the door. You inhaled deeply without making a sound and you opened the door. There lied on the ground Sans and Papyrus. Upon being discovered, the first froze completely, his empty eye-sockets giving him a very frightening look, while the latter – poor soul – let out of a scream of fear. Immediately you realized your mistake. You set the candle down, backing off a bit.

“I am sorry, it's alright! I heard you two talking, I needed to make sure. I won't harm you.” you assured immediately. A grin spread on the younger one's face and he ran to you to lock you into a greeting embrace, escaping his brother's grip. “Hello, Papyrus, I am happy to see you too.” you said with a soft smile, although your expression still displayed worry and interrogation.

You pulled away from him so you could crouch in front of him. Sans was standing now, his left eye shining threatening, but this time he was also unable to conceal his fear. You glanced between the two brothers with a look you hoped to be reassuring.

“I am not mad at you for stealing. I understand. It's fine, you can eat whatever you want, just please don't empty my storage.”

Papyrus nodded with dedication, a smile on his face. He parted from you to run back to his brother. “YOU SEE! THE STRONG PAPYRUS KNEW IT!” he assured triumphantly.

“yeah paps...” was all Sans answered, looking away from you with a look of bitter frustration. Clearly he didn't want to have to trust you.

“Hey... how about I find you a better place to sleep than my storage?” you offered, smiling at Papyrus who agreed with a new “WOWIE!” “Go explore the house then.” And with that, the little skeleton ran off, giving you the opportunity to speak with Sans. “What happened?”

Finally, he directed his glowing dots towards you. “nothin' much... the shed burnt down...” he answered and judging how his sockets grew completely black and his voice grew grimmer, it mustn't have been an accident.

This didn't really surprise you. There had been growing tension between humans and monsters for a while. The Monster King, Asgore Dreemurr, and the current human King: Engmar III had been going from disagreements to disagreements. About territories, about commercial laws, about magic. And it had just been getting worse and worse. At the capital, the diplomatic meetings had been going south quicker and quicker. You had never been there yourself, but your cousin, who was an ambassador, had kept you informed back then. On both humans and monsters sides, there were the pacifists and the belligerents. So, sadly it wasn't so surprising to think that a human could have burned a shed after discovering monsters lived in it.

“I see. You are welcome to stay here with your brother Sans. You'll be fed, clothed and I'll get you a bed and... right now a basin with water to clean yourselves. Until we can find another solution for you.” you assured.

He looked back at you as you spoke, still looking doubtful. “why do ya do this for us?”

“Because it hurts me to see stray kids in the streets.” you simply replied and you noticed that although he turned away from you, his expression seemed to soften a little. “I will warm up some water for you two."

With that, you left Sans to fetch the wooden basin. You removed the cooking pot from the fire and replaced it with another smaller one, filled with water. Often checking the temperature, you started thinking about what consequences this new situation would ensue. You could bring on you the wrath of whoever burnt the shed down and put you and the skeletons at risk. You could end up lacking food. This was secondary. You could manage that. But you couldn't just throw them back in the street. You brought the basin out behind the house and called out for the monster kids. There, you left them to take care of each other, going back inside.

During the following days, you spent your free time cutting into one of your sheets to make little ones for your new guests. You also asked the carpenter to make you a new bed. A bit larger than yours so they could both sleep in it. And since your sheet was ruined, you decided to cut new clothes for them. When you had given his to Papyrus, he had thrown himself into your arms and claimed that you were the best human in the world. While Sans thanked you rather coldly. He would need time to trust you, and you understood.


	2. Before the War: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> About your relationship with Sans and Papyrus and the evolution of the political situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos people! I am very happy that you loved the first chapter. Here comes the second. Enjoy! Please and thank you.

Since they had both been victims of human hostility, you asked them both to stay inside the house most of the time. Neither of them argued, surely still marked by the unfortunate event. You couldn't know for sure, of course, if Sans would not teleport away but you trusted him to do what was best. It was for their safety after all.

You didn't want them to roam around the house aimlessly, to get bored and maybe have bad memories resurface. So you let Sans, who could read, borrow the books that you had taken from the capital. Tales, History books, Enginery. Anything to keep them occupied.

Weeks passed by. One night, after you all had soup, you heard Papyrus practically beg his brother to read him a story. You didn't impose, as you wanted them to share simple moments. Away from the fear of being attacked, starving or sleeping out in the cold. Just little happy moments. But you couldn't help but listen.

“SANS! READ ME THIS ONE! READ IT!” Papyrus demanded excitedly.

“ok ok paps, jeez. i'll read it to ya. so... 'the old lady and the mirror.'.”

Sans started reading the tale, at first being a bit monotonous, before getting into it for his little brother and starting to perform different voices. Telling the tale of this old lady whose mirror cracked a little more every time she did something harmful. You could hear little squeaks coming from the little skeleton. He was going to kill you with cuteness.

“WHAT HAPPENS THEN?! THE OLD LADY REPAIRS THE MIRROR?”

“no paps, she cannot repair the mirror: she must repair her misdeeds. she should definitely _reflect_ on her actions. She should be _glass_ already if the mirror doesn't break completely.” His little puns were followed by a tinkling laugh.

“SANS! NO PUNS!” he argued despite still laughing, soon joined by his big brother.

It brought a fond smile on your lips to hear them both. You were discovering the real Sans: the caring big brother that could be funny when he was relaxed. It was heart-warming. You listened to them both until the story was over and they both went to sleep, before closing your eyes.

With every passing day, Sans seemed to be slightly warming up to you. It wasn't much, if you had blinked you could have missed it, but it was progress. Again, you understood why he didn't want to – couldn't – let his guard go. He couldn't afford to set his hopes to high. You wished that he opened up to you. But he was quiet as a grave about it. You were afraid to ask him: afraid it would ruin all the progress you had made. So you waited.

Your fears were sadly a little confirmed when you heard Papyrus cry and sob one night. You jumped out of bed and rushed to their bedroom. Opening the door you found the two brothers in each other's arms, the tiny one curled up against his sibling, face contorted in distress.

“i've got it. go back to bed.” Sans said firmly upon seeing you.

It wasn't the time to argue and Papyrus was clinging to him anyway. You could only nod with a sorrowful face. You left them both, but instead of returning to bed you lingered outside of their room, leaning against the wall. You weren't spying, you were waiting for Sans to be done so you could speak to him. The sound of his whispering, soothing voice and Papyrus' whimpers made your chest clench painfully.

When the whines and the whispers subsided and finally stopped, you wondered if they both fell asleep. You were about to give up and go back to bed when you heard a ruffling sound coming from inside. Seconds later, Sans was walking out with his hand over his eyes. Sensing your presence he froze and suddenly faced you, his left socket glowing blue.

“Sorry, I didn't want to startle you. I just... is he alright?”

Your soft, concerned voice and your worried expression visibly were enough for him to relax and he glanced back towards his sleeping brother for a second. “yeah... he's fine.”

As Sans resumed his walk you went after him. “Are you alright?”

He turned his head a bit to the side at your question. “i'm fine. no need to worry, buddy. ya should go back to bed.”

You followed him to the storage. There you watched him as he drank a bit of water. His skull was slightly shiny with droplets. Had he been sweating? “I know you are tough Sans. I understand you have to be. But... it's alright to let someone else help you carry your burdens sometimes. It's alright if you don't trust me enough yet... I just want you to know that you can count on me.” He was doing so much for his little brother, but who was comforting him?

He stared at you expressionlessly for a moment, only his glowing pupils shifting in his sockets. Before, once again, his face softened. “yeah... ok i'll think about it.” You smiled and nodded, letting him go back to his brother while you retired.

 

Months passed by. The little one's nights were still shaken by nightmares sometimes. Out of respect for their privacy, you let Sans take care of it. Every evening when you came home, you were greeted by an over-enthusiastic Papyrus. You hugged him back softly, listening to him as he told you what they had been doing all day. Before you took them in, Sans barely had time to give to his little brother, always out to try and find food and ways to make their little shed more comfortable. Or so Papyrus had told you. Those concerns being behind him, Sans could make up for lost time. And judging what the little cutie had shared with you, his big brother was determined to teach him how to defend himself.

“LOOK! LOOK HUMAN WHAT SANS TAUGHT ME!” he dragged you by the hand deeper into your home, jumping on his little feet frenetically.

His bony features contracted in concentration, emitting a little “Ngh” and a tiny bone appeared in his hand. Surprise and admiration brightened your face as you stared down at him, waiting for his next move. He threw the bone towards your huge cooking pot, a clinking sound echoing in the room. He turned back to you, grinning proudly.

“You really aren't called the Strong Papyrus for nothing.” you praised him. “Just don't destroy everything in my house, please.” you winked at him.

“NYEH HEH HEH, THE STRONG PAPYRUS IS TOO GOOD AT THROWING BONES TO BREAK SOMETHING!” From the corner of your eye, you saw Sans entering the room.

“soon you'll be better than me... this is no _scapulation_.” he said softly with a proud smile. This was the first time he made a joke in front of you. You smiled amusedly, letting out a soft laugh.

“UH? SANS... IS IT ONE OF YOUR PUNS? I DONT UNDERSTAND...” Papyrus both scolded and whined.

“He means that there is no doubt you will get even better. And I am sure your brother is very good already.” you explained, glancing at Sans with a smile. He held your gaze for a short moment, still smiling, before he looked away.

 

Life was peaceful, happy even, with the tiny ball of joy that was Papyrus. Sans, although he still hadn't opened up to you – barely telling you they had been going from hideouts to hideouts before ending up there –, had began to relax enough to laugh in your presence, and even made puns directly for you. You had grown very much attached to them, and imagining a life without them had become impossible. It had become an habit for Sans to read Papyrus a story before bed and he had quickly run through your little collection of books. Forcing him to invent variants of the stories. He was smart and creative, you had never doubted so.

One evening, you came back from the carpenter with two wooden figures of animals. For Papyrus to play alone with, or with his brother. The two siblings had thanked you like never before: the little one jumping into your arms, and the older one smiling gratefully. He didn't care so much about what you did for him, or so he showed. But with every display of kindness to Papyrus you were winning a little more of Sans' love. Life was good, blissful. Away from the desolation of an oncoming war.

Even though you lived a little secluded in the village, you tried to keep yourself informed about the human/monster diplomatic situation. Town criers would come announcing news that would then be gossiped among the villagers. The last information didn't promise anything good: the most recent meeting between the kings had been a fiasco. Only getting incomplete information frustrated and worried you. You hadn't been to the capital since a while, but only an audience with your uncle and cousin would help you.

It would at least take you a day to get to the capital, meaning you would be away a few more ones. You had no doubt they would manage on their own, but you still had to let them know. You got a tight embrace from Papyrus and a nod from Sans. Sweet little memories to accompany you during the journey.

 

The human capital was nothing like the little village you retreated to. Clean, tall, almost shining stone walls; guards in armours with swords sheathed at their belt. Colourful coats of arms flowing in the winds and hundreds of humans bustling about. You didn't miss it. You didn't miss the noise, you didn't miss the crowd and you didn't miss the cocktail of scents: perfumes, food, sewers sometimes. If anything it was intoxicating. You had no longer any reason to be there.

You headed to the most imposing houses of all: the castle. Its white walls were towering over the whole city, the giant cyan dome taking centre stage, ceiling of the throne room. Unless anything had changed, you would find your cousin in her private quarters.

“State your business, citizen.” a guard stopped you at the castle's gate, blocking the way with his long spear.

“My name is ___, and I come to see my cousin Alisha, royal ambassador.”

The guard paused to examine you under his helmet, before he repositioned his weapon to let you through. “You may pass, Lady ___.” At least you weren't persona non grata here.

You entered the castle, walking hurriedly through the giant halls. As much as you were pleased to see your cousin again, you wished to be back home as soon as possible. On your way to her quarters, you passed by a door left ajar. Flashes of different colours shone through the gap, electrifying the air around you. Magic. You came closer. In the room was a brown-bearded man, taking notes on a parchment. Next to him floated a ball of energy, spasmodically radiating with colours. Clearly, he hadn't stopped anything since your departure. Looking up from his notes, his gaze roamed a bit pensively around the room before it stopped on you. Dammit. You took a few steps back as he approached the door with a stiff gait.

“What are you doing here, ___? You don't belong here any more, you've made it quite clear. I could have you imprisoned for spying.” he interrogated sternly, borderline angry although he tried to refrain himself.

“I am not here to see you or interfere with your work. I come to see Alisha. And don't worry, I don't plan to stay.” you replied in the same tone. Clearly, he hadn't let go of his grudge since you had abandoned everything. The feeling was mutual.

“I do not hope to see you again. If I do, I will send the guards after you.” he finally stated, walking back into his workshop.

“Likewise.” you muttered, glaring at his back until the door closed behind him.

Alisha was standing behind her desk glaring at documents, when you came into her office. Her expression lightened up a little when her green eyes settled on you. Besides having aged a few years, she hadn't changed at all. Except, perhaps, the dark rings under her lids and the wrinkles of stress scattered over her face.

“___, it has been such a long time.” she greeted you, marching to you and grabbing your shoulders. “What brings you here? Are you coming back?” Hope was clear in her voice.

“Sadly... no. Troubling news brought me here. Another diplomatic meeting failed?”

A deep sigh escaped your cousin's lips and she let go of you to sit at her desk. You took a seat opposite her. “I shouldn't tell you about this, but you are family. And the fact that you used to work here gives you the right to know.” she trailed off, rubbing her forehead. “Our King's requests are more and more demanding towards King Dreemurr. The more we have been learning about monsters' magic... the more powerful he feels. Our Majesty is growing greedier than ever.” she glanced down at the desk, placing her hand onto a piece of parchment. “We just received an ultimatum from King Dreemurr. He demands that our King abandons his recent claim of the southern part of the monsters' kingdom, or he will declare war. This is one too many transgressions. We are on the verge of war, ___.”

You were speechless. You had kept hoping that some arrangement could be found. Not with your current King. Your thoughts drifted back to the little skeletons waiting for you at home. Your expression hardened. You wouldn't let this stupid King separate you. That much you knew.

“I saw Eldaran.” you paused, and she looked back up at you. “He is still working on turning their magic against them, isn't he?” you asked coldly, although it wasn't directed at her, obviously.

Her new sigh answered your question even before her words did. “I am afraid so. King Engmar is getting prepared for war.”

Your face contorted with anger. You were almost tempted to stay and scuttle your uncle's projects. But you were sure to be imprisoned for this. Who would care for your skeletons then? You felt powerless. It was horribly infuriating.

“There is not much I can do, all attempts to find common ground have been fruitless. King Dreemurr has every right to declare war... I am honestly just staying because I hope to be useful after the war to mend what can be.” she offered you a little hopeless smile.

“Thank you, Alisha. I will keep all this to myself, of course.” you assured, getting up.

“Are you leaving already?” she followed your movement, nonplussed.

“Yes, I apologize for this, but if a war is inevitable, I have to be ready. When all this is over, we will make up for lost time.” you assured and returned her embrace, bidding your farewell.


	3. The War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The political situation escalates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am truly baffled by the amount of love this fiction has received so far. Thank you all for your kudos I am very glad that you enjoy following this story. I hope the turn it will take will be just as pleasant for you. There we go!

It took only a few more days for the war to be declared and the news to spread throughout the whole kingdom, proclaimed by the town criers with the royal horns. Papyrus had immediately asked what it meant and you had taken this opportunity to speak with them both.

“King Dreemurr has declared war to us because our King has done something really bad.” you started, crouched in front of the siblings, looking anxiously at them. “This means that we will have to be even more prudent than before. When I am not there: don't stand close to the windows, don't go to the backyard. I don't want you to feel trapped here, but this is for your safety.”

Judging the look on his face, Papyrus wasn't sure to understand everything you said, but he trusted you and his brother enough to comply. And he understood enough to know this was serious. “NO WINDOW, NO BACKYARD. THE STRONG PAPYRUS CAN DO THIS.”

“And please, keep your voice down.” you added.

"No window, no backyard, voice down.” he repeated softly, to which you nodded with an anxious smile.

“what 'bout ya?” Sans suddenly asked.

“What do you mean?”

“you'll be in trouble for hiding us...” he stated rightly.

“Only if we are discovered.” you winked at him, and he nodded grimly.

If Sans had still held any mistrust for you, it would have vanished at this instant. You were putting yourself on the line to shelter them, this meant more than any words.

 

Most of the discussions between the villagers became about the war. Quickly, three types of reactions stood out. The ones who were siding with King Engmar, claiming monsters should be punished for resisting him, perhaps even killed. The ones who remained silent, unwilling to give their opinion, if they had one. And, rarer, the ones who defended the monsters. Those ones soon learned to become silent. As for you, you forced yourself to be as quiet as a grave. There was too much at risk. When the subject resurfaced, you lingered just long enough to check if you had missed any news. Nothing but gossip, prejudice and hatred.

Until another town crier proclaimed that our King's army was battling against King Dreemurr's on monster's territory. The outcome of this confrontation would most likely reshape monsters' and human' societies. If the news weren't simply propaganda, then it didn't look good for your little skeletons' kind.

At home nothing changed. You were determined to keep the siblings' thoughts away from this dramatic situation. Papyrus, at least, because Sans wouldn't be left in the dark. While you played with the youngest and his wooden figures, you discussed the evolution of the war with Sans. And every time Papyrus walked in on you, you immediately changed the subject. You cracked jokes then, making him gripe and you laugh. Despite everything, life was good.

 

The tenth day after the grand battle was announced, the town crier came back. This time, he came bearing threatening news: whoever caught associating with a monster would be judged for treason. You couldn't deny that this sent a tremor of anxiety through you. And on the other hand, you felt proud and righteous to betray a malevolent King. Sans was closer to you than he had ever been. He talked to you with complicity, and finally opened up a little.

“what's the monsters' capital like? eh... huge, crowded, a typical capital i guess?” he shrugged, looking away. You had finally got him to tell you where they originally came from. “why? ya think about moving in there? probly not the right time.” he joked with a wink.

You let out a soft laugh. “Probably not. I've always been interested in your kind, but I never could go to your kingdom. So...”

“so you ask about the... _monstro-city_.” he finished, his smile widening a little. The look on his face showed that he knew why you were truly asking.

You grinned at that, sparing him a meaningful gaze at his pun. “I used to live in the human capital. I wonder how much alike our way of living must be.” you said a little more pensively.

“never been to your capital, but our villages look much like yours.” he confessed, earning a more intent gaze from you, silently encouraging him to continue. “markets, farms... ya name it.”

“SANS! ___!” Papyrus interrupted himself when you both turned to him with wide eyes. “I am hungry, when are we going to eat?” he lowered his voice, coming closer and jumping on your lap.

Bad timing. But you couldn't hold it against the little skeleton. You couldn't hold anything against him. “Alright, I am going to make this soup you like so much.”

“Wowie!” he celebrated just as you leaned in to plant a soft kiss on the top of his skull.

 

The villagers were glancing at one another suspiciously. The patriots, perhaps acting out of hatred or out of ambition, kept a closer look on their neighbours. It was making you nervous. You tried even harder than usual to blend in, not to attract any unwanted attention on you. You even started to whisper with the brothers when you were in the home. To get Papyrus to play along, you had pretended it was a game you were playing with the neighbours: the quieter household won. It worked, thankfully.

Working at the tanner's, you were stocking some leather pieces to the back of the shop when you heard yet again villagers talking about the war. When you reappeared and they turned to you, they interrupted their conversation. To stare at you silently. You held their gazes awkwardly for a few seconds, before you forced yourself to smile.

“Can I help you with anything?”

“No... we will be fine.” they replied before they exited the tanner's shop, leaving to finish your day with a very unsettling knot in your stomach.

A few days went by, and you noticed with growing distress that the villagers were progressively distancing themselves with you. Some turned on their heels when they crossed you in the street, others avoided to look at you. Only a few of them, the farmer among them, kept talking to you. When the tanner fired you, saying you were bad for business, all your alarms went off. You had to hurry home, warn the siblings and run away as far as you could.

All your hopes crumbled to dust when you found royal guards surrounding your house. One of them had caught Papyrus, who was vainly trying to pull himself away from the strong grip. A tiny bone was flickering in and out of existence, tears staining the little skeleton's face. Sans appeared out of nowhere, his left eye blazing dangerously. Quickly summoning a few bones he prepared himself to impale their attackers. The moment the guard saw him, he wrapped his gloved hand around Papyrus' neck.

“Make one wrong move, monster, and this one dies.” he threatened, his prisoner whimpering in his grip.

Sans stilled completely, the bones still floating around him, his fiery gaze resolutely fixed on the guard holding his brother. A shaky whine and the guard's tightening grasp was all it took for the bones to disappear. A couple of men approached the older sibling and roughly forced a glowing collar around his vertebrae. Clearly, he was fighting not to try and go on a rampage. You could see the rage on his face, yet where blue had been shining, there only was an empty void. A shaky screech got your attention, sending a terrible tremor down your spine.

“SANS! LET GO OF MY BROTHER!” he was sobbing uncontrollably.

“if ya hurt papyrus, i swear ya gonna have a bad time!”

Snapping out of your shock, you started to rush to the siblings, your heart thundering in your chest. “Let them go! They are just kids! Please! Release them!” you exclaimed, your voice both angry and pleading.

“The traitor! Seize her!” one of the guards ordered and two other pounced on you.

They grabbed you roughly, forcing you to your knees. “___! SANS!”

“Do what they say! Please, Papyrus, Sans, do what they say! You'll be alright!” you struggled to form the words, your eyes watering nearly to the point of blinding you. You started to pant: you were never going to see them again. “Don't harm them, please!” you implored, gazing only at them, begging them silently for forgiveness for failing them so badly.

“I told you there was something amiss...” you heard a man whisper.

You turned your head to see the carpenter staring at you coldly. You felt numb for a second, crushed by the cruel situation you couldn't escape. You didn't know what would happen to you, but this was meaningless. All you thought about was what was going to happen to them. Papyrus was still weeping, letting out low whimpers. Sans was motionless, visibly fighting not to struggle.

“Take those two, lock them with the others. And bring the traitor too. They were the last one, we have to hurry.” the guard instructed.

Panting, you leaned a little towards the skeletons, resulting in the guards tightening their grips around you. “Sans, do what they say! Please!” you urged him. A bit of relief washed over you as you saw him nod through gritted teeth, just before one of your captors barked at you to be quiet.

Bounded with heavy chains and forced into a carriage, you were only trying to see what they were doing with Sans and Papyrus. You cried to yourself while they brought you you knew not where, praying any merciful divinity to keep them safe. You were scared for yourself too, but you knew the risks.

After an eternity, the carriage came to a halt. You could hear nothing but a cacophony from behind the locked door. When they finally let you out, you quickly gazed around you. You were at the foot of Mt Ebott. And gathered in a big circle was no more than a hundred of monsters. The King and Queen, various monsters of different shapes. All either terrified or furious. One of them, surely the calmest of all, immediately glued your gaze. It was another skeleton. Tall, fancily but discreetly clothed, standing right beside his Majesty.

Only the guards dragging Sans and Papyrus to the monsters could break your trance-like state. Forced to kneel on the ground, held and restrained as well as a few other humans, you couldn't do anything but watch them be taken away from you. You noticed how the tall skeleton's gaze followed their approach. And how Papyrus clang tighter to his brother while Sans resolutely stared back at the stranger. Not to him, clearly. Their father?

Your train of thoughts was cut off by the resonating royal horn. You looked up to see King Engmar III walk forward. He was going to pronounce the sentence. Sweat broke on your skin as you started to pant again.

“Monsters. Your reign and live under the sun is now over.” he started and you felt yourself growing distressed, almost hysterical. No... please no... “You no longer belong here, you never truly did. As a magnanimous King, I will spare what remains of you. I now banish you from the surface and condemn you to live under the mountain, for eternity.”

Cheers erupted from the human crowd all around you. You couldn't help the sigh of pure relief that begged to come out. They would live. You kept your gaze locked on Sans and Papyrus, smiling brightly at them, your lower lip quivering as you couldn't hold back your tears. They were still clinging to each other, Papyrus barely glancing back. Sans' grim and sorrowful gaze was fixed on you.

Several humans walked forward at their King's gesture. One of them was Eldaran. Your features contorted with hate as he glanced down at you with self-sufficiency. There was no way you'd be giving him more satisfaction. You stared in front of you again, at the brothers. Until magic started glowing from the humans' staffs. A strong white light blinded the whole area for a few seconds, forcing you to close your eyes. The horrified screams coming from the monsters in front of you made your stomach clench. Daring a glance up, you were more than relieved to see them all unharmed, albeit terrified. Behind them, a giant gate-like spell was throbbing black and white.

The King gave the final order to walk them to the barrier. Both brothers stared back at you as they were dragged away with the other monsters. The way Papyrus' hand helplessly extended towards you and Sans reluctantly walked him back just made your heart sink a little more. You didn't want to burst into tears, you wanted to look strong for them. But your sorrow also proved how much you loved them. So you let them flow. You kept just enough dignity not to hunch forward miserably.

In a few minutes they were gone and the spell had dissipated. You felt empty. You closed your eyes, a few more tears pearling down your face. A sharp pain radiated through your scalp as a rough hand yanked your head backward. Your sorrowful, bitter gaze fixed on King Engmar.

“You traitors will be punished for alliance with the enemy. You shall rot in prison for all your remaining days.” His judgement provoked a few desperate sobs. “All, except you, ___ for your crime is far more abject.” he turned his piercing gaze to you. Of course you would be sentenced separately... after all none of the other traitors used to work for the King. Your treason was double. “You shall remain asleep for the next centuries. Only to awake alone in a future time, everyone you know long dead.” he declared irrevocably.

You were speechless. Never could you have expected this. Of all the sentences he could have inflicted on you – death, imprisonment, banishment... – this was the cruellest. With one gesture from your 'King' you were brought back onto your feet carelessly. You spared a last glance back to the mountain as you were pushed back into a carriage.

 

Your knees were beginning to hurt from being forced to meet the ground roughly for the third time. Yet it somehow helped you keep track of reality. You were feeling numb. And they had yet to cast their spell. His spell. Eldaran would do the honour, of course. He had insisted. His last little victory. The King didn't attend the execution of the sentence; he had better to do than spare any of his time to a traitor. Like gloating about his triumph.

Alisha was standing several feet behind your uncle, next to a thick ornate column. She was crushed, barely able to hold back her tears. You gazed back at her, silently bidding her farewell. Again. And for the last time. Of all the humans you knew, you would miss her the most. But there was something in her eyes, behind the sorrow, that soothed you a little. She was proud. You would take that along with you.

Your uncle marched forward. There could be nothing more satisfying for him than delivering your sentence in his workshop: the very room you spied on. Oh how you hated him. You didn't spare him one glance, he didn't deserve to be the last face you'd see. Alisha did. You gasped loudly as an electrifying sensation ran through your whole body. Your vision blurred and you fell to the ground, overcome by a strong vertigo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> purpleSquiggles : So it turns out that what you theorised about didn't happen. Yet, you gave me an idea for later, so for that thank you! =D  
> I hope you all enjoyed this 3rd chapter!


	4. After the War: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After centuries of magical sleep, you finally wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darlings, all your comments and kudos fill me with joy. Thank you all and once again, I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

You were floating in a fuzzy, unsettling and unstable sensation. Drifting in an out of a blurred, muffled and numb consciousness. Most of the time, you were unaware of anything. Gliding. Most of the time, everything was dark, darker, yet darker. When it wasn't, all you could perceive was a procession of colours and distant voices.

Thick obscurity enveloped you. No sound, no sensation. You were barely conscious of anything, frozen in a groggy state. A flash of white cut through your monotonous surroundings. It disappeared. The foreign voices came again, a bit different in tones. Or so you imagined. If any of this was real. Different colours. The ghost of a touch. Then the white rupture in the usual emptiness. It was barely coming in focus this time. It looked like a mask. Something familiar yet, changed.

The white mask appeared again, more and more regularly. In between the voices and the colours. Bony, holed hands started to attempt and touch you. Only to phase through you. If they touched you, you couldn't feel it. They were making strange gestures you didn't understand. As it began to circle you, your tilting, disoriented head tried to follow the movement. It seemed to be examining you.

The mask was a foot away from your face. Your pupils slowly retraced the large cracks going from its socket to its grinning mouth, and falling from its skull to its other, tired-looking empty eye. It slithered away a little and you saw the mouth shift wider. A shrieking sound, as broken as the face in front of you, found its way to you. Hadn't you been in this deadened state, you would have cringed and covered your ears. Had you been alert, you would have completely freaked out. Something, almost lost within the incoherent mess of high-pitched sounds, caught your mind. “Gaster.”

 

Your eyes fluttered open slowly. A beeping sound next to you made you turn your head to side. A square object with moving coloured lines and changing numbers met your vision. Still feeling a little dizzy, you simply gazed around you. Very white walls, several metallic or wooden objects. You were lying on a bed with sheets covering you. This was about the only thing you could really recognize. Your senses came back to you. You blinked, gazing around you more stressfully. A multitude of questions swirled through your mind, while your stomach knotted almost painfully.

“You are finally awake!” a male voice rose from the door. You turned to him with a strong flinch.

“Stay calm, please.” he added, coming closer to check the strange objects next to you.

Trying to contain your heavy breathing, you stared up at him. “Where... where am I?”

“You are at the central hospital of Meerlyn.” he explained, still checking the screens.

“And...” you hesitated. “... when... what date?” you were actually astounded to be able to communicate with this human.

“April 7th, 2017.” he came in front of you, flashing a light in your eyes, pressing a cold metallic round object to your sternum.

You didn't dare protest. Truly, you were too numb again to react. 2017... the spell had worked perfectly. A surge of emotions overcame you and you started sobbing. The stranger removed the object from you, motionless and silent for a few seconds.

“Do you need to talk?”

You were unable to talk for a short moment, wiping away your tears. “I... how long have I...?”

“You have been here for a month.” he explained. “Now that you are awake, the police will come ask you questions about your presence in the Sethnat ruins.”

You addressed him a look of complete confusion. “I... hum... I don't...”

He nodded, not surprised about your amnesia. “Policemen found you there after the ruins were profaned. Apparently you had been left unconscious on the ground. Doctors examined you for wounds, but besides the coma you were unharmed.”

You took a short moment to process the new information. So they had just left you there? Sethnat? This name didn't ring any bell. Nothing rang any bell. Just as it was meant to be.

“Are you going to be alright?” he asked with concern. You glanced back at him, blinking rapidly. “Yes... yes... I'll be alright.” You had no idea if you were going to be alright. Nothing seemed to be.

He nodded, walking to the end of the bed to take another unidentified white object. “What is your name?” he inquired.

“___, ___.” you answered and he wrote something on the... parchment?

“Alright, ___, rest and try to focus on what you can remember. Doctors will see you.” he said before exiting the room.

Despite your psychological state you were fine. At least you felt fine. You didn't need anyone to ask you questions you couldn't respond to. You, on the other hand, were badly in need of answers. You sat up and pushed the sheets off you. A strange, open on the back gown was covering your body. You had to change. Removing any strange objects from your body, you got to your feet. Gladly, they supported you. Actually, it felt like you had been sentenced the day before. That all these foreign colours and voices, this masked creature, were nothing but a dream. Perhaps it was. It wasn't the time to ponder.

You searched around the room for any wearable clothes. In a wooden wardrobe, you found a pair of pants, some underwear and a shirt, along with a pair of sneakers. You weren't even surprised not to recognize neither the fabric nor the shape. Nonetheless, you put them on. They all fit your frame almost perfectly, as if they had been left there for you. This done, you walked to the door. You had to sneak out discreetly. You turned to the single window, looking outside to what you supposed to be a garden. After trying to open it completely for several minutes you gave up and went back to the door. Too many confusing sounds and voices came from beyond the panel. You breathed in and out a few times to try and control your growing panic. You had to be brave. You had to get out.

You shut the door behind you and walked along the first corridor you saw. You tried not to look anyone in the eye, just to stare ahead of you as you kept going forward. You had to find stairs and a door leading outside. After a few detours and cold sweats, finally you reached the main gate. You were instantly hit by the unknown noises coming from all around you. Sirens, wheels on the tarmac, incessant chatter. The latter would have been something familiar, if there hadn't been such a huge amount of people. That coupled to the numerous unnatural colours... it was dizzying. There were too many things moving at once.

You hurried in the street, frantically looking for a quiet haven. You stopped in a back alley, from where you could only hear the distant rumble of the busy city. You leaned against the wall, closing your eyes and exhaling shakily. In and out, slowly. You were no one here. You let yourself slide down to the ground, curling up. Sans... Papyrus... they were gone. They had been gone a long time ago. You cried for a while, trying not to let your panic completely drown you. Until, finally, your anxiety died down.

On your frenzied wandering through the city, you had seen no monsters. No trace of their existence, present or past. Or you just hadn't looked closely enough. You needed to know. If they were long dead you needed to know. You waited there sitting on the ground until nightfall. Hopefully the swarming city by day would offer you some peace at night. You got up and ventured out of your alley.

The bright, fluorescent colours were even more dazzling, but the sounds had faded mostly. First you tried to find your way on your own, but nothing around could inform you about the mountain's location. Mustering all your courage, you approached a passer by.

“Hum... excuse me. Can you tell me where Mt Ebott is?”

The old man looked surprised by your question. “But of course young lady: the mountain is just outside the city, you couldn't possibly miss it.” he pointed towards a general direction. “Have you knocked your head?” he inquired half jokingly, earning a nervous laugh from you. “You want to see if the legend is true huh?”

“Ah ah... of course. It's this one... I am not from here. Thank you.” you replied awkwardly and walked away rapidly. 'The legend'... that didn't give you much information. But it was enough to feed your hope.

'Young lady'. You hadn't taken the time to look at you since you awoke. Passing by a shop window you stopped. Despite everything, it was still you. Unaged, unchanged. You swallowed, staring back at your reflection, before you resumed your walk. Reaching the outskirts of Meerlyn, you set your eyes on the imposing silhouette of the mountain. You were struck by the contrast between the overwhelming city and the obscure distance separating you from your destination. There was no sign of the black and white throb the monsters had disappeared beyond. No clear path to their new home. In the darkness, you would simply get lost. You decided to look for a relatively quiet and deserted spot to spend the night. After hours of your steaming thoughts and relentless anxiety keeping you awake, you let exhaustion pull you into sleep.

The first rays of sunshine and urban noises awoke you. Ignoring the gnawing sensation of hunger in your belly, you set your mind on finding a way into the mountain. It didn't take long for your feet to grow sore from the new, unusual shoes. Thirst soon succeeded in surpassing hunger to try and get your attention. You should have preparer your journey better. But you had already reached the foot of the mountain. You could do it. The forest you had been trekking through for a couple of hours finally slimmed into a clearing. There, hidden between two trees, was the opening of a cave. Without thinking twice, you stepped into the entrance.

Your heart was hammering against your ribcage as you walked forward, your steps echoing against the stony walls. The light was getting dimmer and dimmer the deeper you went. You could lose yourself and die there. Nobody would know. Who was there to know anyway? Who was there to care? This thought filled you with nothing but determination to persevere.

And soon your efforts were rewarded. In front of you was a big circular hole in the cave. Your way into the monsters' home or into the next life. You came forward and bent forward to peek into the hole. There was a bed of golden flowers at the bottom... several hundreds of feet down. There were columns too, further down. If you reached them, you could get to the ground safely. Carefully, you climbed down among the stalactites to reach one of the thick pillars. In your current tired state, this was tremendously riskier than you had imagined. Your limbs grew strained very quickly, your hands breaking in a sweat. You barely got to the top of the column before your hands gave out. You fell with a scream of anguish.


	5. After the War: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First steps into the Underground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really amazed that this story got more than 100 kudos with 4 chapters. Thank you all for all your support.  
> I hope you will keep enjoying this story. Also, this is more of a filler, so don't except anything too exciting.

You opened your eyes to golden petals softly whirling towards the ground. One of them delicately fell on your right eye, caressing your lid. You lifted it up and held it above your head. The light from the cave above was shining through it, revealing all the ramifications within. You stared at the mesmerizing sight for a short moment, feeling somewhat appeased.

Disregarding the petal, you sat up. You soon realized you weren't feeling any pain and your body seemed to be functioning properly. You stood and looked about you. Only one path seemed to lead out of this little area. You walked forward, only to freeze on the spot upon discovering something that filled you with hope. An archway had been sculpted into the rock. With the royal emblem. An uncontrollable smile invaded your face and you marched forward.

Another golden flower, this time with a face, greeted you. Claiming to be named Flowey. You were so relieved, so delighted to see actual monsters that you weren't wary of him. You yelled and stared back at him with horror as his 'friendliness pellets' turned out not to be so friendly. You were growing more and more panicked as the 'pellets' encircled you threateningly. Until, unexpectedly, a fireball hit the flower and sent him flying out of sight.

There, right in front of you, stood the Queen. Barely aged, if at all. A hiccuping laugh of disbelief escaped your lips. If she was alive, then they could be as well. You felt blissfully light.

“What a terrible creature, torturing such an innocent youth.” she said sadly. “Ah, do not be afraid my c-.” she cut herself off as she met with your ecstatic gaze. “You are no child.” her soft expression fell, and grew instantly harder. “What are you doing here?”

“Queen Toriel...” you started feverishly. “I apologize for trespassing. I mean no harm. I am looking for Sans and Papyrus. I used to... know them.” your gaze, if it was even possible, grew even more hopeful, pleading even.

Her distrustful expression quickly shifted to astonishment at your words, before turning to confusion. “How do you know those names? I haven't been called by this title for ages.”

“I was there when you were banished under the mountain. I saw everything. I was arrested for treason against King Engmar... for helping monsters. Sans and Papyrus... they were children at the time.” you explained, hoping she would believe you, before you inquired carefully. “Do you... do you know what happened to them?”

The monster's gaze grew a little vague, probably lost in reminiscences. Before she focused back on you. “It seems I was not fully acquainted with how long humans' lives could be.” she commented.

You shook your head. “No, humans do not live as long as I do. It was my punishment.” you explained to her what your own uncle had done to you. That you only woke up recently to a completely new era.

She seemed thoughtful for a moment. “I know of a monster called 'Papyrus'. If we are talking about the same person, then his brother often comes knocking on the ruins' door to exchange jokes with me.” she answered.

Your hand went to cover your mouth on its own accord as you broke into yet another uncontrolled laugh. Tears of joy began to leak down your cheeks. They were alive. You thanked any divinity for their mercy. Your only wish had been granted. This was the sweetest victory over all those who had deemed themselves more righteous than you.

“Please, I just want to see them again.” you asked, nearly implored, your fingers clinging onto the fabric of your shirt. “If you do not wish me here, I will leave. But first please, I beg you to grant me this.” You had never begged before in your life. But this little wish, you weren't afraid to.

Toriel's mistrust was gone, replaced with empathy. Yet within a second, it turned into sorrow and you thought you perceived a ounce of bitterness. “If I guide you out of the ruins, Asgore will kill you. I cannot allow for his plans to succeed.” Her white furry paws started radiating with heat. This and her words themselves, alarmed you greatly. “Yet... you are no child, you may be strong enough.” Her expression morphed again, this time into helplessness and sorrow. “Come with me. I shall heal your wound and lead you out of the ruins.”

You trustingly followed Toriel as she guided you through the ruins traps. On your journey, you met with various monsters: some curious, some intimidated and some others were ready for a fight. You recognized a few of them, or at least their species, from the crowd of fearful monsters, back in another time. Walking with her, you couldn't help but think about her words. What could King Asgore be planning for a human's death to be part of it? It sounded like revenge. King Engmar had slaughtered so many of his people... you couldn't help but understand.

She brought you to her home, giving you a piece of chocolate to 'tend to your wound'. As if you were a child. Unwilling to offend her and feeling your hunger resurfacing, you accepted it. Only to feel the pain in your arm vanish. The look on your face must have been one of innocence and wonder, for she let out a soft laugh.

“Magic, my c-.” Again, she stopped herself.

“___.” you helped her, and she smiled softly, albeit a little vaguely.

“Rest and eat, ___. Tomorrow I will accompany you to the end of the ruins.”

You had a lot of questions, but you were tired and famished. So you agreed and accepted every bit of kindness she offered you. She baked you a pie and let you sleep in a little bedroom. A quick glance around had been enough to let you know it was a child bedroom. But there was no child in sight. You tried to think, but you didn't recall seeing a kid with the King and Queen on that unfaithful day. Perhaps this child was living with his father.

You entered the living room to find Toriel seated in a large armchair, reading about snails. She glanced up over her glasses and a little smile curled up her mouth. You greeted each other and she got up to get the pie from the kitchen while you took your place around the table. She sat across from you, watching you eat her delicacy, a thoughtful, reserved look on her otherwise soft face.

“This was truly delicious, Queen Toriel. I really thank you for your hospitality.” you said with a grateful smile after you finished your slice of pie.

“Toriel, please, ___.” she corrected you gently, perhaps a tiny bit tensely.

You simply nodded to that. It wasn't hard to deduce that she wasn't the Queen any more. Although you wanted to know whatever happened to the royal couple, you also wished to respect her privacy. She was already letting an intruder – human moreover – into her home, you didn't want to cross any more boundary.

“How are they? Sans and Papyrus.” you inquired softly.

She stared at you with slightly wide eyes for a second, dragged out of her thoughts. Then she emitted a light laugh. “How strange that a stranger human would be the one to tell me his name.” she paused. “He is punny and witty.” This brought a fond smile to your lips. “Papyrus and I never discussed directly, but... Sans... told me a lot about him.” You straightened on your chair, leaning forward with strong interest. “He works hard to join the Royal Guard.”

Looking down at your empty plate, you smiled softly to yourself. The little skeleton had always shown dedication. The desire to impress his brother and yourself. To make you proud. And you were, you and Sans, you were sure. You both conversed a little longer, she asking you about your previous life, you about the snails and the ruins. She told you it had been their first home before they moved deeper into the cave. Offering you another slice of pie for the journey, she brought you downstairs to the big pink gate leading out of the ruins. There, she rested her paws on your shoulders in a warm gesture, telling you goodbye. That perhaps the arrival of a friendly human adult was a sign that things would change in a good way. You hoped so.

You stepped through the open door and walked forward in the long corridor. You glanced behind your back just once to see Toriel head back to her home. She must have been feeling so lonely. You wondered if her exile was by choice. The hallway led to a darker room. You froze on the spot at the sight of the golden flower.

“So you think you can befriend the monsters.” his high-pitched, irritating voice rose, before he emitted a little chuckle. “Guess again. I told you: down here it is killed or be killed.” its features morphed into a maniacal grin.

Wary of his movements this time, you kept your gaze on him. You narrowed your eyes. “I'll see that for myself, Flowey. Get out of my way.”

Another chuckle erupted from the monster. “Indeed, we'll see. How well your mighty resolutions hold in the face of a relentless killer.” he mocked you with a wink, before he disappeared in the dirt.

You stared at the empty spot for a short moment. You couldn't trust this creature, it was reeking with malevolence. Yet, the monsters had been trapped underground for centuries. Who could tell what that did to someone? Perhaps they had indeed grown bitter and ruthless. Perhaps it was the reason of Toriel's presence in the ruins. You should have asked her more questions. You had been too impatient to meet with the skeletons again. It didn't matter, only passing the door in front of you would give you the answer.

You were greeted with an immaculate white powder and a cold breeze. Aghast, you remained motionless for a few seconds, taking in the scenery. Before you started a snowed path, surrounded with high trees on either sides. An underground forest. You were positively dumbstruck. Thought, the cold soon reminded you that you should continue forward.

Your steps emitted a soft crunching sound as you walked onto the snow, steam coming out of your mouth from time to time. There was an ominous, chilling feeling in the air. Yet, the perspective to meet with the skeletons again shielded you from any demoralizing thought. Just when a cracking sound echoed from behind you, you jumped slightly and turned around. Only to be met with the empty path and the faraway door of the ruins. After shifting your gaze from here to there a few times, you pursued onward.

You soon reach a wooden archway overhanging a little bridge. The path continued forward and seemed to be the only route. You were about to cross the bridge when you heard footsteps resonating behind you. You froze as they stopped behind you.

“Human, don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my head.” a deep, demanding voice rose right behind you.

A strong chill coursed through your whole body. The voice was everything but welcoming. But well, you didn't have much choice, so you turned around. You froze on the spot. There stood Sans, taller and bigger, no longer a kid. An uncontrolled gasp-like laugh escaped your mouth. He nearly reached your height, just a bit shorter. A huge smile was plastered on his face. You didn't acknowledge immediately the clothes he was wearing, too busy looking at his face. Too lost in your happiness. It felt like you had last seen him the day before, barely reaching your stomach. There he was, all grown up. You stared at each other silently for a short moment, before his eyes went wide.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me just yet, I don't leave you on a cliffhanger this time. =D


	6. After the War: Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters for the price of one. It's your lucky day, Darlings. But don't get used to it, that won't happen everytime. I just didn't have the heart to leave you on that cliffhanger.

You managed to tear your gaze from his face to lower it to his extended hand. You didn't notice the whoopee cushion in his palm, but it didn't matter. You took a step forward and wrapped your arms around his skeletal frame. You hugged him tightly to you, slightly shaking.

“Sans...” you whispered breathlessly. As if to test the word, to make sure it was real.

“uh... ah... hey.” was all he could reply at the moment. “ya sure know how to get a grip on a situation.” he commented a bit awkwardly, while you felt one of his hands press on your back.

You laughed and finally detached yourself from him. Your bright and delighted expression sure showed how happy you were to see him. He, on the other hand, looked stupefied, hesitant. You could understand that.

“You're alive... and so is Papyrus.” you stated softly in a sigh. “You have no idea how relieved I am.” You had so much to tell him, to ask him. So much time to make up for.

Getting himself together, he scratched the back of his skull, glancing away. “yeah, eh, still kicking about. sure has been a while, ___.” he turned his gaze back to you. “ya looking alright. in fact, just like in my memories.” he looked you up and down again. Only your clothes looked different.

You nodded. “We have so much to talk about. I'll tell you anything you want to know.” you assured, before another smile warmed up your features.

“sure. i guess ya want to see papyrus. you'll be happy then, because i think that's him over there.” he answered, glancing over your shoulder. “i've got to warn ya though, he'll probably try to capture you.” he shrugged.

You turned around to see a tall silhouette stomp forward decidedly. The sight ignited happy little sparks in your belly. You just smiled back at Sans, telling him it was alright, before you crossed the bridge and walked straight towards the oncoming mountain of bones. Your eyes opened wide with complete awe. Your little baby skeleton was full grown. Even one head taller than his brother. Again, you didn't take much time to detail his outfit, it was too foreign to you anyway. Sans trailed slowly behind you, his hands in his pockets.

“SANS! IS THIS A HUMAN STANDING BEFORE YOU?” he inquired dramatically, his voice booming even louder than in your memories. To the point of making you jump a little.

“i dunno paps... ask the human.” he retorted, and from his slightly amused tone, you guessed he was still smiling. Or smiling wider.

Papyrus addressed a jaded look to his brother before he refocused on you. “AH! I KNEW IT!” he beamed, pointing victoriously towards the ceiling. “HUMAN, I SHALL CAPTURE YOU NOW. THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD.” he announced proudly, lifting one hand to his chest while the other rested on his hip, his sockets closed.

You let out a soft and silent laugh. He didn't seem quite finished with his speech, but you couldn't help but cut in anyway. “I never doubted the Strong Papyrus would grow up to be Great.” you confessed fondly.

The taller skeleton froze, only opening his eyes to stare at you. He was clearly taken aback by your words, while a soft blush crept up his cheekbones. You naturally expected a shy “Wowie!” to escape his teeth. Instead, he stared at you curiously, quizzically.

“I LIKE THIS HUMAN SANS, SHE RECOGNIZES TRUE MERIT.” he exclaimed, widening your smile.

“i see that bro, she pinned ya down... right to the bone.”

“SANS!”

You glanced back just to see Sans' sockets narrow with amusement. His dots shifted to you for a second and he winked at you. Yet, something seemed a little off. He wasn't as welcoming as you'd hoped he would be. Yet, you understood, you weren't sure how you would have reacted if you had been missing for centuries, only to return out of the blue completely unchanged. It felt like almost everything had to be rebuilt. But they were alive, and seemingly well. Nothing else mattered.

“EXCUSE ME HUMAN, BUT I HAVE A PECULIAR FEELING. DO I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEWHERE?” Papyrus voice, although a bit quieter, brought you back to reality.

You turned back to him, slightly taken aback. It wasn't surprising that he only remembered you vaguely, he had been very young when you had lived together... centuries ago. You were happy with any fragments of memory he still had. The thought of a heartbroken little Papyrus made your heart sink. You smiled softly at him.

“Yes, we knew each other, a long time ago.” you simply replied.

“HOW STRANGE...” he squinted his eyes, looking sideways. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS USUALLY NEVER FAIL TO REMEMBER ANYTHING. IT MUST SIMPLY BE IN THE BACK OF MY MIND.”

“I will help you remember.” you assured.

“EXCELLENT! WE WILL GET TO THIS MATTER. FIRST YOU SHALL BE CAPTURED HUMAN. BUT! NOT BEFORE YOU GO THROUGH ALL MY PUZZLES! READY YOURSELF TO BE FLABBERGASTED! NYEH HEH HEH!” he exclaimed and with that the extravagant skeleton made his grand exit.

You stood there with Sans, watching Papyrus stomp away with a huge smile on your lips. It felt indescribably good to see he had lost nothing of his panache. It only got better. You turned to the other sibling to see him staring at you.

“paps will be waitin' for us ahead. it'd make him really happy if ya played along.” he stated. “we can talk later.”

You nodded, smiling. “I would be delighted to see what paps concocted for me.” You were truly curious. You were interested in every new thing you could learn about them.

Sans seemed to shift a little awkwardly when you used the nickname. “okay, see ya ahead, ___.” And with that he teleported out of your sight.

You followed the snowy path ahead. You met Doggo and remained perfectly still, until you could pet, pat, pot him. You met Icecap and admired the beautiful hat on the monster's head. You met Snowdrake and laughed softly to his jokes. You agreed to take a piece of the snowman, hoping it wouldn't melt. You were relieved to see there were still so many monsters in the Underground.

Finally, you joined the brothers ahead. You played along and solved the puzzles, giving every of them the attention they deserved. When they asked you to choose between junior jumble and crosswords you said both, because you didn't want to pick a side. You watched with amazement when he activated the colourful tiles. None of those puzzles were actually dangerous. Even the electricity maze only sent a mild amount of energy, just enough to make your hairs rise on your skin when you set your foot off path ever so slightly. So when he presented you the Gauntlet of Deadly Terror, you were only slightly worried. For it finally not to be activated at all.

“thanks, paps had a lot of fun.” Sans said as you reached the end of the bridge.

“So did I.”

“'bout this talk... i can zap us home if ya want.”

As you agreed, he extended his hand to you. This time you took it, noticing how large it was in yours. The next thing you knew, a heavy vertigo overcame you and your stomach flipped unpleasantly. The snowy scenery disappeared to be replaced with a living room. You needed a moment to get your bearings, just feeling Sans free your hand. Then you look around. Much like Toriel's, the skeletons' home was filled with objects you didn't recognize. So, looking for familiarity, you walked to the book left on the little table left to the couch which Sans now sat on.

“What is 'quantum physics'?” you inquired after reading the title.

Sans arched one of his brows. “uh... its the science 'bout particles' probabilities to interact with other particles in a microscopic level?” he tried, unsure you would understand anything he just said. And indeed, you were in dark waters.

“So... tiny elements connecting or not to form different results? Am I right?” you tried to sum up.

His smile grew a bit wider. “you may or may not be right depending on the probabilities.” he winked at you. You opened the book to find another book inside, this time about jokes. This made you smile. You looked up as you heard a thud, to see Sans patting the empty spot next to him. “come sit with me.”

You took your place next to him. You let silence express itself before you took over.

“I should have done more... I am sorry Sans.” you said quietly, looking at your hands fidgeting on your lap. Another short silence followed your words.

“it's in the past.” he simply replied, shrugging. “it cannot be changed, right?”

You turned to him to find him slouched on the couch, his hands in his pockets and his dots fixed on you. He looked unconcerned yet tired. As if he was unaffected by anything. Except his brother's happiness from what you gathered. And this smile. This never-faltering smile was almost unnerving. You remembered distinctively that he didn't used to smile constantly like this.

Next to you, Sans was also staring at you. After his brother and he had walked through the barrier, he had kept the memory of your face for a long time. Until the shape slowly started to blur. He was only left with a vague image. But he had never forgotten you completely. Even if he could no longer put a clear face on you, you still were the human who had helped them when they had been in need the most. The one who – despite getting angry at them – had forgiven all their misdeeds and mistakes. The one who had brought a smile and earned a laugh from his little brother. This, he had made sure never to forget; especially when the disruptions had started.

Therefore he immediately recognized you when you turned around in front of the bridge. He hadn't even known what to feel. Shock, for sure. Incomprehension, damn right. Delight, some yes. Mistrust, also sadly. There was no way you could have travelled through time if you didn't know about the timelines, about the space-time continuum. You would have messed with it only to find them? Judging what you were saying it seemed plausible. But if you loved them as much as you claimed, you couldn't have done those horrible things to them.

“Still, I feel I owe you explanations. You were right: I got into trouble for hiding you. They didn't sentence me to death or life imprisonment... they thought about something more creative and crueller.” you started, pausing then to think about it. How ironical really. Had they put you behind bars like the rest of the traitors, you would have never seen them again. You smiled with satisfaction. “They put me under a spell. I woke up yesterday Sans.” you stared back at him. “They made me sleep for centuries.”

This, for sure, brought a new element to the equation. And he had been examining you since the moment he had recognized you. You couldn't have faked all your reactions, right? Yet, Sans could vaguely recall someone else who had this ability. But he didn't recall being able to link any soul to it. Your soul, on the other hand. If he had been unable to recognize you from your looks, your soul would have been enough. A blend of red, light blue, green and orange. Unstained with LOVE.

“so ya're saying that you napped for centuries... and i'm the lazybones.” he joked, earning a soft, silent chuckle from you. “dont tell paps... he's gonna have a heart-attack.”

“He doesn't remember me. He seems rather happy though, it fills me with joy.” Unless it was all a façade, like Sans' everlasting smile seemed to be.

“he's working hard for somethin' that doesn't fit him. but eh, he's dedicated, he's doing alright.”

You didn't reply to that but exchanged a meaningful glance with him. “What about you?”

“me? i'm doin' _fabellously_.” he replied with a wink, but this time you didn't laugh. First because you didn't understand the pun and second because you didn't really believe him. But again, he had never been the most outgoing of the two.  “i sell hot dogs at my sentry stations if ya're interested.” he added, and this time he was the one who laughed at the sight of your baffled expression. “i'm serious though. hot cats too, sometimes. its just a food name.”

“Oh...” you said, still a bit disturbed. You had so much to learn.

“so you just came for us, huh. what do ya plan to do now that you found us?” he inquired, his intent eyes fixed on you.

“I don't know... I didn't think that far ahead. There is nothing left for me upstairs. When I woke up, all that mattered what to find out what had happened to you two.” you confessed.

And it suddenly occurred to you didn't belong here any more than you did on the surface. Your gaze turned blank. Sans and Papyrus had their own lives. They had had centuries to move on after all. You didn't expect anything from them really. Next to you, Sans was silently looking at you. He didn't think his little brother would mind if you moved in with them. He himself wouldn't. As long as you didn't make a mess of everything it would be fine. And even if you did, he could hardly picture Papyrus throw you out.

“you can stay with paps and i if ya want. i can even talk grillby into giving you a job.”

 


	7. After the War: Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people! New chapter out. I hope you will enjoy it!

Papyrus didn't protest too much with Sans at his suggestion. He did a little, because it wasn't proper to offer the hospitality to someone you planned to capture. But his big brother had objected using an almost irrefutable argument: there was no better way to keep his eyes on you than having you living under the same roof. In a way, you were their prisoner. Papyrus seemed to be at peace with that thought. Sans was far-sighted enough to ask his sibling to tell Undyne to wait before taking your soul, or yourself to the King. For a month perhaps, so he would have time to know more about you first. To study you. At first the taller skeleton appeared conflicted to ask her that but he also wanted to understand why he seemed to know you. The Captain refused at first, but Papyrus' sad face was enough to make her reconsider. For her friend, she could wait a little. As long as they kept an eye on the human and she could come and capture you at any moment...

Although the last part didn't reassure you completely, you bathed them both in grateful words and apologies for imposing. Then, you started asking questions about everything you saw. What was this square object that diffused sounds and colours in front of the couch? What were all these devices in the kitchen? How did their bathtub work? Most of the time Papyrus was eager to try and give you explanations of his own, when he knew. When he didn't, he did his best to hide his lack of knowledge with an evasive, yet eloquent reply. Every time Sans would watch in the background with a smirk and sometimes a witty comment.

During the first days of your cohabitation, you often observed them when you three were home at the same time. When they weren't locked in their bedrooms that is. You watched Sans reading his quantum physics book, or perhaps was it the jokes book. Fifty percent probability? You watched Papyrus as he busied himself in the kitchen. Their interactions: the way the older brother liked to tease his sibling; the way the younger one scolded him in return. You couldn't help yourself. Not much had changed between them after all. Despite what they had been through. And you still didn't know. You wanted nothing more but to sit with Sans and listen to him open up. Perhaps this was a bit too soon. You would have to wait for a sign he would be willing to confide in you.

Besides observing your dear skeletons, you also explored the town. You went to the shop where you bought the keeper some of her baked goods. You glanced into the bar through one of the windows, awe-struck at the sight of the fire elemental casually serving a drink. You entered the library and greedily read some books. You learned about monsters funerals, about mating – how it depended on the species: some would keep the same partner for life while others would be flighty –, about weddings – how drake couples would gather branches together and draw a snowflake to symbolize mutual aid and family, or caps would exchange hats.

You also read about humans. And what you learned was nowhere near reassuring. It was bitter and unforgiving. Legitimately so. And it was surprisingly in contrast with the way monsters had treated you so far. They neither looked scared nor angry at you. In fact they were oddly open with you, as if you actually belonged in Snowdin. Either they didn't know you were human, or they didn't care. Perhaps most of them were too young to recognize one on sight. You didn't want to find out what would happen if they figured out your true identity. You decided they didn't have to know. So you kept quiet about it.

While you kept quiet about your species, you didn't refrain from talking with them. You asked them about themselves, happy with every bit of information they were willing to share with you. You quickly learned that few were those who enjoyed life in the mountain. Although everything you saw was new to you, you could still recognize the system their civilization was based on: trade. Life hadn't been easy everyday back in your native era, true, but it hadn't been unbearable either. Yet, life below the surface didn't seem so different. Actually, you quickly assumed that they were all fantasizing about a brighter way-out because they didn't enjoy what they had here. This, out of everything you witnessed, showed the most accurately how alike monsters and humans truly were. Or they just truly needed the sunlight to be healthy. Eh.

 

Sans let you get accustomed to your new home for several days, keeping an eye on you. He had never seen you so enchanted before. He could vaguely recall cheerful moments of complicity and some others of anxiety. And that unfaithful day everything fell apart, he could have never forgotten it. He had taken notes of any event he had deemed important. This had been one of them. If Sans could pride himself on something, it was to be clear-sighted. Even if he didn't boast about it. When he had started studying the space-time continuum via the machine, he had foreseen the risks of memories, perhaps even fragments of reality itself, could get lost if anything went wrong. Well, he hadn't been the only one to come to that conclusion, it had been teamwork, but that he could hardly remember.

The more he watched you, the less you felt like a stranger. It brought little bits of unclear memories to his mind. And sometimes, when he commented on it, you embarked on telling him how you remembered the story.

“Papyrus was thrashing water all around the basin! He was a delight with his high-pitched laugh and his grin! He threw some over at you and you used your magic to make the water levitate! He was laughing even harder when you threw it back at him!” you laughed at the recollection. “Until you started to move the water around to form shapes... he was absolutely amazed then.”

“and he begged me to teach him how to do that.” he continued thoughtfully and a little hesitantly, trying to remember. “ya probably never knew 'bout it, but it resulted in a watery mess at least once. i think... its kinda fuzzy.”

Your eyes grew wide at that revelation, before you burst into laughter. “Oh Sans! I indeed never knew! You little rogues!” you exclaimed, although still shaken with laughter.

Sans let out a soft chuckle, his grin widening a little. His gaze held malice and fondness as he stared at you. Watching you, talking to you, reviving those long neglected memories, it was slightly awakening a feeling he had thought to be lost. And actually not quite just. Something new as well. Unlike Papyrus, Sans had never considered you to be a substitute mother. He had long stopped relying on paternal figures. You were more of an unlikely friend. You hadn't changed one bit, but he had. Different thoughts, different desires, different needs.

“There was also that time when Papyrus ran around the house tangled in the sheets. He was pretending to be a ghost that would tickle our feet at night if we didn't give him bits of food.” you laughed a little more at that.

Sans' smile didn't falter but he shook his head. “don't remember that one, but it sure seems like it was _espe-sheet-ly funny_.” he commented, keeping his relaxed gaze on you.

You laughed at his pun. “It was.” you agreed softly, gazing back at him fondly.

You just stared at each other silently for a short moment before Sans spoke up again. “i talked 'bout you to grillbz.” he started. “he agreed to see ya. maybe you'll get a job at my favourite bar. and it doesn't have to do anythin' with it being the only bar.”

You nodded at his words. When you had both talked about it the first time, you had agreed to give it a try. You were willing to help the skeletons in any way you could for putting you up in their home. Funny how the tables had turned.

“so he's expecting ya to come talk about the job.” he glanced at an old clock on the left wall. “right now should be a good time for that.”

As you nodded he got up, swiftly followed by you, and put his hand on your shoulder to zap you both out of the house. A warm, welcoming atmosphere enveloped you. Appetizing unidentified smells reached your nose, making your mouth water. A soft rumble of conversations reigned in the main room. You hadn't entered the bar before and you almost wished you had. Sans greeted everyone and all the patrons returned the civilities one by one. You both walked to the counter.

“hey, grillbz. same as usual. and one of your burgs for her.” Sans ordered and the bartender nodded before disappearing behind the door to his right.

You silently looked around at the monsters around while you waited for the fire elemental to come back. Nobody seemed to be bothered with your presence here. They were all minding their own business. Next to you, the skeleton was simply waiting too. When Grillby reappeared with a red bottle and a plate with something round on it, Sans spoke up again.

“thanks, buddy.” he said, and you followed his example. “so this is ___. ya think she can be put to work?” he finally introduced you while opening his ketchup bottle.

The fire elemental turned to you, or so you imagined judging how his glasses moved. This was one of the most baffling things that you would have to get used to. Truly, he was fascinating. “Nice to meet you, ___.” he said and you were surprised by his smooth voice, like the caress of silk. Everything about him exuded elegance. “Only if you have the suitable skills.” he finally replied Sans questions, but directly to you. Grillby, born after the barrier's creation, had never seen a human. Although, he assumed you could be one. It didn't really bother him: he wasn't a man of beliefs but one of facts. And only your acts would tell who you were. Besides, Sans seemed to like you. So, you mustn't have been so bad.

You arched your eyebrows at that. “I honestly don't know if I have those skills... but I am willing to give my best and learn.” you answered.

“... Sincerity and motivation: two valuable qualities. I'll test you tonight after work if you are available.” he offered. This man meant business.

“Absolutely.” you assured and the bartender gave you a nod before he fell silent again. You glanced back to Sans who just took a new gulp of his ketchup. He winked at you and you smiled at him.

You ate your 'burg', discovering the new pleasant taste with delight. You curiously removed the top bun to explore its content. Since your arrival you often couldn't help but ask random questions: where did they find the ingredients? They were shipped from the capital; where did the huge ice squares go to? To Hotland to cool down the core; what was it and what was it used for? To power the whole Underground. Sometimes you were even tiring your interlocutors. You really couldn't help it.

That evening, you came back to the bar to have your little job interview with Grillby. It consisted of carrying trays to tables, to memorize imaginary orders, to be pleasant to the clientele. You had never done any of this, but you had already been to some inns before and you had seen waitresses work. And what you lacked in experience, you compensated balanced with your conviviality and your memory. It turned out to be enough for the elemental, who gave you the job. You started the next morning. Although it was a little stress-inducing at first, you did a fairly good job. And since Sans came to the bar at least twice a day, you could see a familiar face.

“eh, grillbz... since i've found ya a new waitress... you could, y'know, take some weight off my tab?” you heard Sans ask the barman when he came for the second time.

“... No, Sans.”

“it was worth a try i guess.” he shrugged with a wink.

This made you laugh softly as you walked to another table to ask the monster with a giant mouth if it needed anything else. Your new function in the bar had been accepter immediately. Either they didn't care or they found it to be a refreshing change, none of them made a negative comment about being served by you. And you, well, it gave you a new opportunity to talk to the monsters of Snowdin and get to know them. For sure, it was helping you feel integrated.

Since it was a bar of a decent size in a small town and it was mostly frequented by regulars, you agreed with Grillby that he didn't need you to come everyday. That way, he didn't have to pay you for the work he could do himself and you still had time to do other things, while you still brought some money back home. It was perfect for the both of you. When you didn't work and didn't explore the forest of talked to Snowdins inhabitants, you spent your time at home. Mostly with Papyrus, Sans either being at the bar or selling his hot dogs somewhere.

“THIS IS METTATON, THE MOST POPULAR MONSTER OF THE UNDERGROUND!” Papyrus explained as you sat next to him on the couch, watching the metallic square speaking in the 'television'. You could see the admiration on the skeleton's face. “HIS FRIENDS NUMBER MUST BE PRODIGIOUS. BUT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF FRIENDS ONE DAY! NYEH HEH HEH!” The taller skeleton could truly be touching with his yearning for love and recognition. It made you smile fondly, thinking that he deserved it greatly.

“Now, Beauties and Gentlebeauties, please stay tuned for the rerun of my famous show: 'Cooking pot with a robot'.” the electronic voice announced.

“WOWIE!” Papyrus beamed next to you. “I ALWAYS WATCH IT WITH UNDYNE! IT GIVES US NEW IDEAS OF RECIPES FOR OUR COOKING LESSONS! WHEN WE ARE DONE PERFECTING OUR DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI OBVIOUSLY! THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR EVEN THE TINIEST IMPROVEMENT!”

Again, this made you smile fondly. Papyrus' spaghetti weren't exactly edible and often left an indescribable taste in your mouth. But the expectant and proud look on his face would always motivate you to hide any discomfort. Because he gave his best and he was happy to share his masterpiece. You didn't have the heart to crush that. It was easy to understand why, despite all his teasing, his big brother was always gentle with him.

“Would you like me to make one of my recipes for you two tonight?” you suggested. You kept it for yourself, but you had a hidden agenda: try and revive his memories of you.

“HMM... I AM NOT OPPOSED TO THIS, HUMAN. I WILL WATCH THE PROCESS CAREFULLY AND TAKE DETAILED NOTES OF THE RECIPE, SO UNDYNE AND I CAN REDO IT IN THE FUTURE, ONLY EVEN BETTER.” he proclaimed dramatically, rising his hand to his chest.

That evening you did cook for them. You struggled with the different devices but saved by Papyrus' generous help, you managed to make them work. The tall skeleton stood in the kitchen with, witnessing every step of your recipe from over your shoulder. Several time you bumped into him upon turning around so close he was, like a second shadow. Exasperated, you ended up offering him to give you a hand. He agreed delightfully. And so he cut the vegetables – a little too vigorously for your taste – while you cooked some meat. Sometimes you checked after his work, to make sure it wouldn't meet the same unfortunate fate his spaghetti always did. You were doing this for a specific reason after all.

“eh, not bad, ___.” Sans commented as you all sat around the living room table. “i'd say it was prepared pretty... _meatly_.” he winked at you.

“SANS! NO PUN AT DINNER! THAT BEING SAID, OF COURSE IT WOULD BE COOKED PROPERLY, AFTER ALL I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS OFFERED MY IRREPLACABLE ASSISTANCE.”

The younger sibling had yet to taste it himself. Until then, you turned your attention to Sans. He was slowly munching his mouthful, still grinning at Paps' reaction. When his dots shifted to you, he addressed you a meaningful glance. There was no way to tell if he actually remembered, or if he simply knew your intentions. But actually you wouldn't' have been surprised if he had deduced it, as you hadn't been exactly discreet in your attempts to bring back some memories.

“HUMAN! OUR EFFORTS HAVEN'T BEEN FRUITLESS! THIS DISH IS SUCCULENT!”

You expectantly turned back to Papyrus at that. While his jaws moved around, his eye-sockets were narrowed interrogatively. He seemed to be intensely looking for something. A smile curled up your lips: even if he couldn't really remember it, he hadn't lost it completely. Yet, after that evening, you decided that trying to remind them what they had lived centuries ago wasn't so important. What would matter from that point forward, would be the new memories you would create together.


	8. After the War: Part 5

 

It was terribly, immeasurably infuriating for him to witness this. To know that he was so helpless faced with this spectacle. To see you, a human of all people, be accepted and integrated so easily into the monsters' society. There you were, enjoying life with Sans and Papyrus, while HE was stuck nearly powerless. Oh yes... Flowey was angry. So very angry that you weren't showing any determination to fight your way back to the surface. He had to do something. Anything! Or he would never get his control back. And then, if he wasn't in control, what left did he have?

He couldn't threaten you directly. If he did, there was a high risk that this damn skeleton would discover him. He was done with dealing with him. Not again. And even if he didn't come upon him, you could simply talk about him to that pest. No no... planting seeds of doubt hadn't worked on you, he had to go for a less direct approach. By making sure the Captain of the Royal Guard would finally do something about the human, for example. To the very least, it would set things into motion. Because watching this display of sweetness made him want to hurl.

 

It had been a month since your arrival, and at this point Papyrus had stopped calling you 'human'. Not because he remembered who you had been for him long ago, but because he had grown completely accustomed to your presence. Truly, it felt like you had been living with them for way longer than that. And quite naturally and unconsciously, he abandoned his desire to capture you. He began to spend more time with you. Like that time he took you along with him to build snowmen of you two. What had started as a recreational activity to share ended up as an art competition. Unsurprisingly, Papyrus won.

Whenever Sans was around, his gaze lingered on you. Well, he had been watching you from the start, but not in this manner. He was paying attention to the way your body moved, the way his little brother's words or actions made your face morph into different expressions. He was more or less consciously memorizing it. Even if a new reset would wipe everything away. It hadn't occurred for a while, or so he thought, perhaps the phenomenon wouldn't repeat again. He could really afford to have such hope. It would hurt too much. And yet, despite himself, caring is exactly what he was starting to do again.

And you, you were beginning to feel something very different for him too. He was more mature, more laid back and confident. It was incredibly strange for you, because to you he had still been a kid a few weeks ago. But he wasn't any more. It was just an awakening feeling, yet it was still too recent for you to consider being more than friends with him.

 

Working your shift at Grillby's, you were about to walk to another table after you discussed with one of the patrons when Sans suddenly appeared in front of the bar, making you jump a bit.

“hey, everyone. ___, there's a very determined Captain of the Royal Guard heading here. i heard the back alley is very interesting at this hour.” he informed you casually, sitting at the counter casually.

First you just stared at him confusedly, baffled. But as the dots finally connected a few seconds later, you turned around and hurried to the 'fire exit'. Which by now wasn't just a fire exit any more. You closed the door behind you just as the door slammed open. You walked out of the bar by the back door. The tenacious Captain of the Royal Guard stormed into the bar, startling more than one clients.

“Where is the human, punks?!” she exclaimed, all clad in shiny armour, but her helmet off. As her right eye fixed onto the other members of the Guard, she seemed to be tremendously dissatisfied. “No wonder you haven't caught them yet! The human could be right under your noses you drunkards wouldn't even see it!” She earned some pitiful whines from the dogs.

Sans, casually sitting with a new bottle of ketchup in his hand, couldn't hold back a laugh at the irony. Which brought Undyne's attention onto him. The mighty warrior stomped closer and smashed the side of her fist down onto the counter violently, making the whole establishment shake in the process. Grillby rose a non-existent eyebrow, resulting on his glasses shifting on his face, but otherwise remained silent and continued to wipe the glass in his hands.

“YOU find this funny?! I have given you enough time for whatever you are doing! The human isn't at your home, so they must be here!” she was almost gritting her teeth at this point. She had waited more and less – rather less – patiently for Papyrus' sake. Because nobody in the Underground wanted Papyrus to be sad, certainly not his best friend. Her patience was running out.

“sorry buddy... i just remembered something pretty hilarious... in the back of my mind. i still need her for a while. y'know, science and all. a few weeks should be fine. and papyrus is pretty fond of her.” he said casually with a hint of amusement in his voice.

From the back alley, you could hear Undyne's voice so loud she was. You felt a ping of stress run through you as you heard her enter the back of the bar. She seemed to be searching around for a short moment, before she left again.

“Ngaaaaah! This is the last soul we need to finally get out of this dump, I will not wait forever! Next time I come I will capture this human!” she exclaimed and hurried to the door. “And go work at your sentry station!”

“sure. bye, un'.”

The atmosphere of the bar remained tense for a moment longer, before the monsters resumed their conversations. Behind your door, you stood a little frozen, dwelling on her last words. Toriel's concerns popped back into your mind. So this was it: King Asgore wanted to use the souls to leave the Underground. How? You had been spending so much time studying monsters' magic that it never actually occurred to you that humans could hold such power. But actually, it would explain why, despite their magic, the monsters were defeated. With the souls power and their own magic used against them... they had no chance.

You carefully opened the door, peeking inside the bar to make sure the warrior was indeed gone. Not seeing any angry figure spying from outside the window, you came back from the back. None of the monsters stared at you strangely, or fearfully. Or at all actually. So nobody knew what you were. Perhaps Grillby did, but he didn't say anything. Sans' eyes followed you and he offered you a wink. 'Thanks' you mouthed in return. You would make sure to NOT come across the mighty Captain.

 

Infuriating! Did this freaking bonebag ever lower his vigilance?! He had to get you to that stupid king. If he tried to take the souls without him being weakened or everyone at least being distracted, there was a chance he could fail. And without his ability to reset... he couldn't take any chance. If he absorbed the souls, it would have to be all at once. But... you didn't want to fight the king, you stupid, infuriating bitch! He had thought that whispering to an echo flower that a human was at Grillby's would be enough. Not with that damn fish who was too soft with the dumb bonebag! Oh yes... Flowey was still angry.*

 

A few weeks passed. Before you knew it, you had been living with the skeletons for two months. Although you still had some difficulties with a few devices, you had gotten used to your new life pretty nicely. You hadn't ventured outside of Snowdin and into Waterfall. As a certain skeleton had hinted that you might make an unfortunate encounter ahead. No thank you. She seemed to be an interesting monster, but not to the point of risking to get captured.

You had found yourself a little routine. Working at Grillby's - less than before as it had become more dangerous - reading about monsters' culture, spending time with your dear skeletons. Life was good again. And you liked to think that you made them happy too. Papyrus seemed pretty eager to show you things: like how to vacuum or wash the dishes properly. You had made him really proud when you had surprised him with clean plates next to the sink once, all shining brightly. The first time he had let you into his bedroom you had felt a wave of warmth coursing through you at the sight of the action figures on his desk. Perhaps, just perhaps a part of him had remembered the little wooden figures you had gotten him. Truly, he was one of the best friends anyone could hope for: always positive, always supporting.

Sans' behaviour had started to change towards you. He initiated physical contact more and more often. Casually at first: a hand on your shoulder or on your back. Progressively, as he needed to make sure you were ready for it. You never protested, actually you were enjoying those little displays of affection, especially when it was accompanied by a joke. You even started to return it: an arm around his shoulders, your legs over his lap when you were on the couch. Perhaps was it time to try a little more. You were waiting for your drink to brew when your felt a weight on your shoulder. A quickly glance to the side and you realized it was Sans' head. His presence so close to your face was creating a soft tingling sensation in your belly.

“watcha doing?” he paused. “hmm... it smells good.”

“Oh it's my coffee/tea. I'm waiting for it to be ready.” you explained.

“okay... i was talking 'bout your hair though.” he corrected.

“Oh... thank you Sans.” you felt your cheeks heat up at the compliment.

You didn't move away from him, feeling rather comfortable like this. When your drink was ready, Sans surprised you by lifting his hands on either sides of you and pouring the hot beverage into a mug. You just smiled, watching the floating objects, until you grabbed it. You froze a second then, as you suddenly felt his arms wrap lazily around you. You bit your inner lip, but didn't ask him to stop. Instead, blushing a little more, you took a little sip of your drink. The embrace only lasted a dozen of seconds, before Sans pulled away and left the kitchen, your intent gaze following him out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * You mad bro? xD


	9. After the War: Part 6

A few days later, one of the patrons was celebrating her birthday at the bar. The room was fuller than ever before, and Grillby couldn't handle cooking and serving all on his own. So, even though it was one of your free days, he requisitioned you for the day. In exchange of extra cash of course. So there you were, making sure the regulars and the party monsters were satisfied. It was interesting to watch them, as it hadn't been customary to celebrate at the inn back in your time. But by the end of the day you were exhausted. Not only because of the party, but because you kept checking if Undyne wasn't about to slam open the door. And because of this, your patience was hanging by a thread.

“Sans... are you finally going to bring this plate back to the kitchen?” you asked a bit curtly. The older sibling had baked a quiche for himself and had left the empty plate on the table.

“yeah sure, ___. if _dish_ is really what ya want.” he replied detachedly, keeping his gaze on the television.

Normally you would laugh or at least smile at this pun. But in your current exasperated state you just sighed with annoyance. You expected Sans to use his telekinesis to bring the plate back as requested, but he did nothing of it. You remained quiet for a few minutes, feeling your frustration growing and growing until...

“You have got to be kidding me!” you literally came yelling at him, which brought his attention on you with a raised eyebrow. “You just don't freaking care about anything do you? I wasn't aware that I was asking something so difficult for you to do! This is very disrespectful towards Papyrus, insulting even!” you spat out. “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Sans kept staring at you wordlessly, his face emotionless. Until his gaze shifted to the plate and he enveloped it with his blue magic, making it fly to the sink. Then he got up. “uh, yeah... i'll be in my room.”

Your glaring eyes followed his movement as he went upstairs. It took a little while for your irritation to fade. But when it finally did you realized what you had said to him. You felt guilt gripping at your chest: you had no right to tell him to be ashamed. Especially not with everything he did for his brother. And you actually didn't even know half of what he could do for his brother. At first, pride stopped you from going upstairs to apologize. But your relationship with Sans was more important that such a petty feeling.

“Sans... please open the door.” you asked him a little quietly after you knocked on the panel. Nothing happened for a short moment before the door cracked open and his silhouette appeared.

“sup?” he asked simply, staring at you.

You chewed a little sheepishly at your inner lip. “I am sorry... about what I said earlier. It was very insensitive and stupid. I crossed a line. I am sorry.” you hesitantly looked up at him to see him shrug before scratching the back of his skull.

“eh it's okay, __. no hard feelings.” he assured. “it was a long day, huh. i get it if it was a bit _un-bar-able_.”

This time you laughed softly, relieved he didn't hold it against you. Without further ado, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around his frame. He froze a second, taken aback, before he returned your embrace. A soft smile spread on your lips as you felt his shoulder-blades against your palm, through his hoodie. His own fingers were pressed against your waist and lower back. You were really basking into the closeness. Little did you know, you weren't the only one. Sans could feel the heat radiating through your clothes, the sponginess of your human body. You remained attached to each other for a short moment before you pulled away, smiling at each other.

 

Lying on the couch like every night, you were tossing in your sleep. Perhaps was it because of that exceptionally stressful day. Either way, strange images were visiting your dreams. Blurred colours and muffled voices. Until the mask reappeared. Slithering around you with those weird hands. Unlike what you saw in your magical coma, it was getting clearer. This had never been a mask. What was floating in front of you was a skeleton face. The same one you had seen on that tragic day, albeit damaged. A strange sensation, like pens and needles, coursed through your whole body and you woke up in a gasp.

You froze completely, momentarily forgetting to breathe, at the sight in front of you. Floating just over your chest was a perfectly shaped heart. A red, light blue, green and orange heart shining brightly. An electrifying sensation was travelling across your skin. It kept levitating above you for a little longer before it returned inside you, eliciting a strong shiver from you.

You stayed still for a short moment, in shock, before you jumped off the couch and hurried upstairs. You knocked frenetically on Sans' door until it opened on a sleepy skeleton in a white shirt and black shorts.

“uh... yeah? what time s'it?” a groggy voice greeted you. Although, the distress and confusion on your face washed his fatigue away rather quickly. “you okay?”

“I... I don't know... I just saw something... really disturbing.” you tried to answer.

The other door opened to reveal Papyrus in his pyjamas and a nightcap. “Sans... ___... is something happening?” he inquired not so loudly, also quite sleepy.

“it's okay paps, i've got this, go back to bed.” he assured.

Papyrus didn't seem to be really convinced though. “I will prepare my delicious spaghetti for ___. It is impossible to be upset with a stomach full of a succulent meal. Nyeh heh heh.”

“yeah, do that paps.” Sans simply agreed before he turned back to you, while his little brother was heading downstairs. “c'mere.” he said, stepping aside to let you in.

Although it was your first time entering his bedroom, you couldn't truly enjoy the thought. You simply looked around quickly, just the sight of the self-sustaining tornado making your eyes grow wide. You walked to the mattress and sat next to him. A stale smell came from the bedroom, but it was the last of your problems.

“I just had a very strange dream. I had the same one during my... sentence. I was in the darkness and a strange face was staring at me.” You started anxiously, glancing down at your fidgeting hands. Next to you, Sans was listening intently. “But... I saw it before. The day they banished you here. And... when I woke up there was a heart above my bosom... I...” you stopped, getting a tight grip of your shirt, where your heart would be.

“your soul came out of your body.” Sans explained, staring down at your chest, where he could see it pulsate softly. “ya're fine, it's still there.” he added reassuringly.

At that you looked up at him to see his gaze fixed there. Heat crept to your cheeks without you being aware of it, too focused on the current matter. “You... you can see my soul?” you were both amazed and surprised by that fact. He had never told you.

“eheh... i'm full of surprises huh?” he scratched the back of his head. “keeps the passion alive, right?” he added with a wink. You consciously blushed at that. “you saw someone then?”

“Yes... it was a skeleton too.” Sans' eyebrows rose and he straightened. You looked away from him, trying to remember. “I saw him with King Asgore when they cast the spell to trap you. You and Papyrus seemed to know him, but didn't seem to like him. He was looking different but... I think it was the same person. I think I heard a name... 'Gaster.'”

Sans' sockets had turned completely back. It startled you a little when you brought your eyes back on him... it rarely meant anything good. Without a word he got up, grabbing your hand and dragging you up with him. Then he teleported you both out of his room. Shaking the nauseous sensation, you looked around yourself. You were in an almost empty tiled room. You couldn't see anything besides the rectangular thing covered with a sheet.

While you were looking around you, Sans was opening a drawer. If you had seen him, if you actually remembered anything about him, he had to know everything. He had nearly nothing left of him: a picture, blueprints, notes on the broken machine. Notes he could no longer have access to. He had nothing but his memory to rely on any more. Gladly, he had a decent memory. But after so many resets... it tended to get messy. Sans came back in front of you, strangely driven by some urgency you weren't used to see from him.

“was that him?” he held the picture in front of your face.

You examined it carefully. The picture showed different monsters wearing a white coat. The only ones you could recognize were Sans and Gaster. Despite not seeing the huge cracks and deformed socket, you recognized the towering figure. “Yes. Who is he?” you would finally obtain those answer you longed for.

Sans remained quiet for a short moment, glancing down at the picture. Then he put the picture back into the drawer. “i dunno. i only scattered memories left of him. he could be our father, our uncle or our brother for all i know. i asked around but nobody else remembers him. not even paps. i just know that we used to work together. somethin' happened to him and he disappeared.” he let out a soft sigh, looking sideways at the broken machine. “i hoped ya could fill the blanks. but eh... i'm not even sure if it's relevant. from what you're saying, i didn't like him back then. we must have lived together then... and then... i don't remember it well, but i think we left. somethin' about paps' and my magic... and tests. i'm not entirely sure.”

You weren't certain, but you assumed their common work had something to do with this quantum physics stuff. “Sadly, I had never seen him before the end of the war. I used to work at the castle but I never actually met King Asgore. I was doing research with my uncle.” your expression grew bitter. “Your magic fascinated me. I was driven by my desire to learn how it worked. But my uncle... uh... I didn't know that he was working on finding ways to use it against you. King Engmar must have asked him to do so and... well he had always been ambitious. When I learned what he did... I left. Perhaps if I had stayed and destroyed his work none of this would have happened. But... I would have never met you... and perhaps they would have just settled for killing you all.” No, things could have hardly been better. Perhaps only a coup d'Etat would have changed something.

Sans, now leaning against the glass protecting the blueprints, nodded at your revelations. “so ya saw him while you were in that coma. probably in another plane of existence.” he mused, staring at the tiled floor.

You weren't sure if you really felt sorry or not. After all, you remembered clearly how distrusting Sans was towards this Gaster. But, years had passed since then. Perhaps they mended up what had been broken back then. You walked closer to him, standing in front of him silently. You noticed that the drawer was still open. There was a drawing inside and it looked a lot like you. You reached out for it and took it out. Sans looked up, feeling his own cheekbones heating up. Around the drawing were handwritten notes: your name and 'don't forget'. You stared back up at him, feeling your stomach make a flip of excitement. A surge of love overtook you. You leaned forward and pressed your lips against his teeth.

 


	10. After the War: Part 7

 

The sensation of hard teeth against your lips was strange to say the least. Yet, you couldn't have cared less. This drawing, those notes, it was the proof that you were that important to him. He had wanted to remember you. So there you were, pressing your lips against his teeth, your hands on his cheeks. Against you, Sans was motionless. Pretty taken aback by the sudden gesture. Until his hands wrapped around your back and his jaws parted. You gasped at the sensation of something squishy against your lips. You didn't know he had a tongue. It was quite the pleasant surprise. Parting your lips, you met the appendage with your own eager one. It tasted like sugary tomato.

Sans had been waiting for this for a little while. He had dropped some hints, he had kept his eyes lingering. He had assumed rightly that you needed some time to consider him as something else than the skeleton kid you had taken in. He had seen some hints from you as well, but again he wanted it to come from you. But he hadn't expected for it to happen in this situation. Hence his lack of reaction at first. He could really feel it: he was caring again. His tongue intertwined with your own, his fingers holding onto your back. He pulled you to him, until he could feel your bosom press against his sternum and your stomach against his ribs. He wanted to remove that shirt from your body and really get to touch your skin. You brought your hands to his ribs before you pulled away. Your cheeks were a soft red and sparks of excitement were igniting your lower-belly.

“i don't think it'd be a _bed_ idea to continue this upstairs.” he offered with a wink.

You let out a quiet laugh at that, your stomach making a little flip with anticipation. “I would like that, yes.”

The décor span once again around you. A few stray pieces of paper fluttered around the bedroom floor but neither of you really noticed it. You were back on the mattress and Sans dragged you along with him as he sat down. Leaning in, you tentatively pressed a kiss on his neck, only to feel him shiver against you and his hands squeeze your sides. His fingers sneaked under your shirt and ran over your soft and warm skin. This feeling was entirely new to him, very pleasantly so. The touch of his bony hands was rough on your skin, but the way they kneaded your hips only aroused you more.

You took a hold of his shirt and pushed it over his head. He only removed his hands from your skin a second to help you. Your breathing heaving with growing lust, you set your eyes on his revealed chest. It was nearly mesmerizing. To see how his bones moved, linked together with magic. You didn't waste too much time with your contemplation though, reaching out to caress his sternum. A low moan escaped Sans' teeth, encouraging you to do more. But before you got the opportunity to, a deep blue light enveloped your shirt and pulled it over your head too.

His eyes stopped on your breasts. He had never seen this part of the human body for real. He was curious to touch it, to see how it would feel under his fingers, and what reactions he would get from you. His smile grew a little wider at the lustful gasp you let out under his squeezing. He rose an eyebrow at the sight of your nipple hardening. He leaned down and stuck his tongue out, lapping at the little bud of flesh tentatively. It was warm and soft. Quite pleasant to play with. But it was your reactions he enjoyed the most.

Your breathing got a little shallower under his licking. Even more so with the slight electrifying sensation his magical tongue created. Your core was starting to ache for him. He was making you feel good and desired, and you wanted to do the same for him. Yours hands caressed along his ribs, travelling towards his spine. With every gasp or shiver you tore from him, you were more eager to touch him. You were mapping his body, looking for sensitive spots that would make him moan louder. His third vertebra, the edge of his hip.

“this sure is the _breast_ way to finish this day.” he stated playfully, his voice slightly deeper than usual.

You looked down to see his glowing blue tongue circling your bud, almost bewitched by the sight. “It was the _bonely_ way to make it end well.” you answered huskily with an amused smile.

Sans let out a soft chuckle that vibrated against your nipple, making your breath hitch. You moaned out as his teeth suddenly clamped around it. Your grip tightened around his hip, making him hiss pleasantly. He lapped at it one more time before he straightened, his half-lidded gaze filled with desire. Your eyes widened slightly as you noticed his shorts were diffusing a blue glimmer. You shouldn't have been surprised, after all he had a tongue too. For sure, you were very intrigued.

You pushed his shorts down to reveal his magical erection. You were astonished to see how how human-like it was, just a bit different. It was a decent size and girth and the sight only made your pussy ache a little more.

“are ya waiting for it to do somethin'? because i'm _practi-cock-ly_ sure it wont unless you touch it.” he joked with a new wink.

You gave him a meaningful look, unimpressed. “You would almost make me believe you are eager for it...” you teased, before squeezing his hip.

He let out a new hiss and another laugh. “just sayin'.” he answered seemingly detachedly, looking away. But you both knew he indeed was eager.

You grinned at him and looked back down at his strange shaft. You wrapped your fingers around it, feeling the energy running against your palm. As you started to stroke it up and down firmly, you moved your gaze back onto his face. He held your stare a short moment, his dots shining brightly with his desire, before he closed his eyes. You bent forward, taking the opportunity to surprise him. Sticking your tongue out, you ran it over his tip. He gasped loudly and brought his gaze to you, while his cock twitched with need. You winked up at him, earning yourself a smirk, before you wrapped your lips around his cock.

It didn't taste like anything in particular. But the texture was smooth and a little softer than wood. It tingled against your tongue and palate pleasantly. It made you wetter just to imagine it inside your pussy. Sans' fingers were tangled into your hair as he kept your hand close to him. His low moans and pants were filling the bedroom, increasing your lust. You were bobbing your head and hollowing your cheeks to try and give him as much pleasure as you could.

Damn you were good. Shivers were crawling under his bones and his cock was deliciously throbbing under your ministrations. Or perhaps was it because he was used to receiving such treatment? No, you were good. Pleasure was rushing through his cock in little but intense waves. After several minutes of this, he pushed you away from his pelvis. You wouldn't be the only one to have a taste.

“eh lie down on your back, i wanna try somethin'.” he instructed.

Eager to grant his request, you took position on his bed. Using his magic again, he slid your pyjamas down your legs. You spread them for him, anticipating his desire, blushing at being so exposed to him as well as basking in his attention. Just like you did before, he contemplated you for a short moment. Then he lied on his stomach between your thighs. Tentatively, he lapped your pussy up and down, staring up at you intently, studying your reaction. The way you moaned and arched your back brought a bigger smile to his mouth. Your juices coated his tongue, filling his mouth with your taste. The unknown flavour was intriguing and he had the feeling that it could easily grow to be addictive.

His tongue was exploring your pussy, discovering your sensitive spots like you had been doing with his body. Going from your clit to your entrance with its tip, only to lap its entirety again. Every time he pressed against your bud you moaned, and when he just brushed it, you shivered. Getting the pattern, he smirked. He licked at you clit lightly for a dozen of seconds, enjoying the way it made you squirm. Until he began to nibble at it. You let out an uncontrolled louder moan and gripped at the mattress under you. He let out a low chuckle.

He brought his tongue to your entrance and pushed it into you. You moaned at the feeling of being stretched coupled to the shivery sensation his magic provoked you. He started to thrust into you, his eyes fixed on you, your flavour soaking his taste-buds. You sure were giving him a delightful view: your breasts heaving up and down with your quick respiration, your offered neck and your parted lips.

“Sans...” and the way you whispered his name in rapture.

He stopped before you could reach your peak, but it only made you more eager to have him inside you. He crawled over your body, resting his forearms on either sides of your head. He stared into your dilated pupils for a few seconds, taking in your lustful expression, before he leaned in and pulled you into a kiss. You moaned into his mouth, your tongue twirling with his, as he began to grind against your sex. The way it smeared your juices over his length sent a shiver through him. Slowly, he guided himself into you.

As you felt him inch deeper and deeper into you, you brought your hand up to his shoulder and his scapula. He stilled after hilting, taking a moment to enjoy the sensation around his shaft. His hand glided on your skin to stop at your left breast, feeling its softness. The moment he felt your hips rolling slightly against him, he began to thrust inside you. You groaned into the kiss as the growing pleasure started to invade you. He pulled away from your mouth to bury his face into your neck instead. He had enjoyed your attention on his own, so perhaps... The moan you offered him as he bit gently on your skin caused him to smirk.

“i didn't know humans could make such sexy noises... i'm totally into ya now...” he whispered against your ear, making you both shiver and laugh softly.

Sans pulled away to stare down at you, his hips keeping a rather slow but steady rhythm. He had never thought he would feel something so strong again. This fondness for you. There he was, admiring your pleasure-stricken face as he thrust himself into you again and again. Your soul was shining brightly, pulsating in consonance with his own. It was heightening his own pleasure, driving him to pound into you harder and faster. Sweat was pearling on your heated skin, sparks of pleasure were bursting into your pussy, spreading in your body in exquisite shudders. After a little moment, Sans pulled out of you.

“get on top of me.” he requested already lying down on the other side of the bed.

You needed a second to process it, so sudden the demand had been. You got to your knees and straddled him. Quickly, you lined yourself with his shaft and pressed down. A moan escaped your lips, your eyes fluttering closed. You felt his hands wrap around your hips a bit tightly. You looked down at him. His parted mouth was letting his glowing tongue show, barely poking out. He was clearly waiting for you to move. And you did, starting to roll your hips back and forth.

His eyes were glued to your body as you fucked yourself on top of him. The way your hips rotated on his pelvis and your breasts jumped with your moves, it was enthralling. It was all he wanted to do now: lie back and enjoy the view and the sensations. The smell of sex was invading the bedroom, the wet sounds of his sex grinding into your own almost muffled by your moans. Feeling the pleasure peaking again, your brought one hand to your clit. Only for your palm to rest on his hand instead, as he beat you to it. You arched your back, squeezing your breast as he rubbed your clit for you, now slamming your hips down onto him. Sans' orgasm was nearing too, making him pant erratically, and giving him some trouble to stroke you steadily. The sensation of your walls clenching around his cock triggered his climax and he came into you while you milked his cock.

Exhausted and slightly sore, you lowered your upper-body onto his own, panting. It quickly turned out that lying on bones was really uncomfortable, so you rolled over and lied next to him instead. His erection had vanished and so had his cum, leaving only your own juices as proof. You smiled fondly at him, and he – bringing up a finger to play with your hair lazily – returned it to you. You reached forward and already ran your tongue over his teeth. He chuckled quietly and complied, poking out his tongue to meet with yours. You kissed lazily for a little moment, before you parted.

“you can't get enough of me, sweetheart?” he asked jokingly.

The petname created butterflies in your tummy. “It would seem so.” you replied softly, a little tiredly. Suddenly, a question came to your mind. “Sans... can monsters and humans have offspring?” It was making you a little anxious.

“hm? no. at least not before soul-bonding. that's how monsters do. no idea if it would work on a human though.” he explained, sounding tired as well.

“Alright.” you weren't ready for this yet.

You had never heard of anything like this. Monsters and humans used to live in their own kingdoms. And even before the war, it had never been thought highly of. Not under King Engmar's reign at least. So if some monsters and humans had made hybrids, you had never know about it. Since it involved soul-bonding anyway, it wasn't relevant for now. Your thoughts shifted back to the tiled room. You couldn't help but ask.

“Sans... what was under the sheet in that room you brought me to?”

There was only silence for a short moment, before his tired voice answered. “a machine to check the space-time continuum. it's broken. it showed when there was something freaky.” he explained sleepily.

You could hear that he just wanted to sleep, but you were just too curious. “Like what?”

“loops. resets to past moments in time.” his voice was getting quieter, you dropped it.

“___! SANS! HUM...” he cleared his throat, his voice coming from the bottom of the stairs, probably. “I HAVE FINISHED PREPARING THE SPAGHETTI! ” Judging the tone of his voice, he had overheard some things he wasn't supposed to.

The beaming voice had startled you, and made Sans open one eye. You hadn't noticed the noises coming from the kitchen, right under you. Oops... “We should probably go downstairs.”

“go... he made it for ya. i'm gonna stay here and keep the bed warm for ya.” he answered even more sleepily than before.

You gave him a look that he didn't see, shaking your head softly. You got up, redressed and exited the room to the sound of his snoring. You met with Papyrus downstairs, first the both of you being a bit embarrassed, before the mood lit up with you eating his spaghetti. Needless to say, it had been your last night on the couch.

 


	11. After the War: Final Part.

Life was good. Actually, it couldn't have been any better. You had found the two beings that counted the most for you. With Alisha. You often missed her. But you had finally found your place: working for the fire elemental, finally living an open relationship with Sans. Not much had changed, except that he called you 'sweetheart' and touched you intimately. On your days off, you would just sit on the couch and watch Mettaton being his famous self. You would sit between his legs with a thin pillow between the two of you while he would rest his hands on you. Between episodes of lazily brushing your skin to see and feel you squirm.

You could see that that Papyrus was feeling very guilty for having to keep this secret from Undyne for so long. After she had learned about your presence – somewhere – in the Underground, she had told him she would do it herself. It had lifted a bit weight off his shoulders, but not all of it. You were both his friends. So you told him that he could tell her where you were. He had been quite relieved to know that you would think any less of him. He had been in a very uncomfortable position for too long. And you felt guilty about it. It was time to assume the consequences.

You were leaning against Sans on the couch, holding one of his quantum physics for him while he explained some of it to you – it had become a thing – when the front door got knocked down and an angry fish stormed in. You jumped with scream, dropping the book, while Sans stared at her with raised eyebrows.

“Human!” she pointed a threatening finger at you. “Finally I will fight you! You have been deceitful for long enough: using someone's kindness to hide behind! Come outside! We will settle this!” You kept staring at her for silently.

She was right about one thing: you had abused Papyrus' kindness a little, knowing he wanted to join the Royal Guard and had to deliver you to her for that. It was time to let the orange part of your soul shine again. So, feeling your heartbeat quickening, you unwrapped Sans' arms from your body. You got up and followed her outside. Looking to your left, you saw Papyrus rushing towards you, coming out of Waterfall.

“UNDYNE! ___! PLEASE DO NOT FIGHT! UNDYNE, ___ IS A NICE HUMAN! THERE MUST BE ANOTHER WAY!” he was clearly distressed.

“I know you befriended the human, Papyrus. It's my fault, I should have killed her before this happened. But I will rectify that!” she turned back to you, now pointing a long and sharp-looking light blue spear at you. “Prepare yourself to be defeated, human! For monsters' sake!”

She led you a little further away from the houses, on the way to Waterfall. Then, she took her position fifty feet away from you. Papyrus was fidgeting anxiously next to you two. Sans had followed behind and was looking at Undyne and you with his hands in his pockets. You glanced back at him stressfully, and he simply gave you a look that meant 'you can do it and I'm here in case it gets bad.' You took a deep breath in, focusing back on the now grinning monster. Suddenly, she conjured another spear and threw it at you, but in a non aggressive way. You caught it, staring at it. She was providing you a weapon. She really was the allegory of honour.

Suddenly, she started to throw spears at you, coming from different directions. All your senses on alert, you spun around to block all of them. You turned back to her, panting, to tell her that you didn't want to fight. This seemed to be pretty useless, besides reassuring Papyrus ever so slightly maybe. Further in the town, monsters were starting to look at you, either curiously or worryingly. But it was the last of your problems: you had to stay focused. Undyne kept throwing spears at you, monologuing about how she represented everyone's hopes and dreams. You weren't paying attention to any of it, too busy trying to stay alive.

You rolled into the snow to avoid the spears you couldn't block. More than once you were caught out when her attacks suddenly changed directions upon hitting you. Adrenaline had kicked in to the point of leaving you unaware of injuries. Just once, you felt a warm liquid leaking down your arm. Once, Sans threw an unisicle at you, leaving you to fight it with it melting into your mouth and slowly healing you. She was tiring you. Yet, you were starting to feel that electrifying sensation rush through you again. You put it down to adrenaline.

You were starting to become very uneasy as the sensation grew stronger and stronger. Until, out of the blue, your soul began to vibrate. Energy burst out of it in a strong shock wave. Sans, focused enough on the fight, got just about the time to teleport himself and Papyrus out of the way. Undyne didn't have this chance. Her eyes grew wide as the energy hit her and she collapsed heavily onto the snow. You remained frozen on the spot for a dozen of seconds, both catching your breath and trying to process what just happened.

“UNDYNE! ___! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Papyrus' fast approaching voice rose behind you. “UNDYNE?”

“I... don't know.” you answered breathlessly, looking up at the unconscious Captain.

You moved forward just as Papyrus ran passed you, kneeling next to his friend and trying to shake her awake. She hadn't turned into dust. Little red sparks of electricity were roaming over her armour. Other than this, she seemed unharmed.

“uh... perhaps we should remove her armour.” Sans suggested, his eyes fixed on it. And with that he used his magic to take it apart. 

“I... I WILL BRING UNDYNE HOME AND TEND TO HER!”Papyrus assured and he lifter her into his arms, immediately hurrying towards the River Person's spot. 

Sans and you were still staring at the magic-saturated armour. “I felt something strange before it happened. The same strange thing I felt when they cast the spell on me. And when I had that dream again and I saw my soul above my chest.”

Sans' eyes shifted to you. “then what happened is linked to the spell. i know someone who'd be interested to study that.” he extended his hand to you and you took it, curious and anxious to know what was happening to you. Within a heartbeat, you both disappeared.

You inhaled sharply, eyes growing wide, as a suffocating heat suddenly surrounded you. The temperature difference was shocking. You started to hyperventilate, your vision blurring as your heart started to race. You could just hear Sans' distant, worried voice calling out for you before you passed out, falling heavily.

You were lying onto a soft surface when you regained consciousness. Although it was still rather warm, the temperature was no longer suffocating. You sat up slowly, realizing you had been resting on a bed. You didn't recognize your surroundings in the slightest. It was rather dark, and strange filled with a thin fog. It looked rather similar to the tiled room Sans had taken you to. Only less welcoming and pretty much abandoned. There was something eerie radiating from this place. As you heard footsteps, along with a voice, coming from a corridor behind you, you turned around.

“I... I never saw of a h-human soul with such p-powers.” the voice was feminine and very hesitating. You kept your attention on the opening, only to see Sans enter the room with a yellow reptilian monster. You recognized her as the one you had seen on Sans' picture. She didn't look confident at all, ashamed even. “H-human! You're awake. I... I didn't think we would m-meet like this... uh... My name is A-Alphys... I am... hum... the royal scientist.”

Next to her Sans was silent, simply watching the two of you. You smiled at her. “Hello, nice to meet you. I am ___.”

“I... I know... I hum... I watched your interactions...” she looked between you and Sans. At that your eyes went wide. “N-not all your interactions. I mean... ahah...” she was starting to sweat.

“i'd say that's a matter to be discussed only between _into-mate_ people.” Sans jumped in, with a soft smirk.

This made you slightly uncomfortable, but not as much as it did Alphys. Well, she had brought it on herself. She looked like a nice, easily unsettled monster. And if Sans thought she could be of any help, then she surely was clever too.

“Do you know if Undyne is alright?” you inquired.

Alphys was clearly relieved that you changed the subject. “Yes! I c-called Papyrus before we brought you here. She is awake and... hum... v-very angry at you.”

“I didn't mean for this to happen.”

“A-anyway, if you are feeling strong enough, I need you to... follow me.” she replied.

You nodded and carefully got up. You were feeling much better. Surely, the sudden and pretty extreme change in temperature had caused this blackout. Sans watched you closely as you took a few steps forward, ready to catch you with his magic if you collapsed again. If he had known your human body was unable to support the lack of transition you would have taken the River Person's boat. But you seemed fine, so well no big deal.

You followed Alphys out of the room and into a long corridor. She seemed to be completely stressed out as she kept glancing around at empty spots, playing with her fingers. You wondered if she was always like that, or if it was because of the situation Sans and you had dragged her into. Or something else. You wanted to question the skeleton about this, but it wasn't the right time. A few electronic boards lit up as you passed them by, You heard a strange, very quiet whimpering noise coming from an unknown location. You glanced all around you, but in vain, until your gaze fixed on the royal scientist again. She must have heard it too, because she was looking even more distressed. You peered at Sans: his dots were shifting around as well. You exchanged an interrogative look.

Your eyes grew wide at the structure looming over what seemed to be a hole in the ground. It looked like a giant reddish animal skull. You noticed that Undyne's armour had been left in the corner and magical sparks were still travelling on its surface. You watched as Alphys walked to an instrument panel on the wall and pushed a few buttons. A few seconds later, the pipes on the top of the machine shook slightly, before a bright white light animated the skulls' eyes. You stared at it in silent awe: both very curious to see what it could do, and very anxious.

“D-don't worry... I won't have to use it on you... h-hopefully.” Alphys tried to reassure you. Way to go... “I will test Undyne's armour first.”

You only nodded. You wanted to ask what it was and what it was going to do but you also didn't want to disturb her. So instead you stood at Sans' side, watching as flew the armour in front of the skull's firing line. Alphys pushed more buttons, and the light in its eyes migrated to its sideways jaws. It morphed into a vibrating sphere, then into a beam. It hit the armour with a loud whistling noise. The armour began to vibrate as the ray of energy hit it continuously.

“What is this?” you asked Sans next to you.

“dunno. it must have been built by alphys after i left.” he replied with a shrug. “my guess is its supposed to extract the magic from the armour.” he added as you both watched the beam start to attract the sparks to it.

Alphys, who had just overheard your little talk, was biting her lip. If she started to you details about what she had turned the lab into, she feared that she would have to confess everything. She knew how perspicacious Sans could be. It had been eating at her conscience for a while, and with every passing day she felt more and more like a worthless coward.

“You are right S-Sans... It... hum... it is an extraction machine.” she confirmed, her voice lacking confidence more than ever. Another whistling noise brought her attention back to the machine: the magical sparks were trapped into a bright sphere of energy just in front of the skull's mouth. “It worked! I-I'll be right back!”

She ran out of the room just as the ball returned into the skull and disappeared into the pipes. The machine shook a little before it fell silent again. You turned to Sans then, who was still next to you, glancing around him again, and looking thoughtful.

“You used to work here then. This is here, the background on the picture.” you stated more than asked, although you wanted him to elaborate.

“yeah. we worked on makin' the Underground a better place to live in. studied time and space, among other things.” he fell silent as another distant whimpering noise echoed feebly. “i'm gonna check what's makin' that sound.”

He disappeared, leaving you alone in the room. You remained motionless for a short moment, before you approached the armour. It had recovered the same appearance as before your soul emitted the magical shock-wave. As for you, you hadn't felt the surge of energy since the moment either.

“I've never seen a-anything like this! The magic was full of Determination! It...” Alphys had just rushed back inside, a tube containing the sparks that were casting a red aura onto the glass. “Where... where is Sans?” her expression grew more anxious by the second, and she gasped loudly.

Said skeleton zapped back into the room a few seconds later. “eh, al', ya mind explaining the fused monsters locked in the lab?” he asked with a demanding yet intrigued voice.

Your eyebrows rose drastically. Alphys closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. “This m-moment had to come... I was so... terrified to t-tell anyone...” Hidden behind her hands, she started to explain everything.

Soon, you grew very empathetic. The monsters she had experimented on were dying anyway, and she had no idea it would have such a tragic result. Still, you understood why she felt so self-loathing. Perhaps would you have begun to hate yourself as well if you had condemned other beings to melt together and kept them locked up down here. Some destinies were worse than death. Yes, she had acted cowardly and selfishly, but it was obvious that she wasn't malevolent. Now that Sans knew, she had the opportunity to make things right.

“I... I have no choice now... and... this has been g-going on for too long...” she finished shakily. Although she still hadn't resurfaced from behind her hands, you knew she was crying.

“it's your responsibility al', so it's your choice.”

“You... you won't s-say anything?” she asked in disbelief, lowering her hands.

Sans shook his head, staring at her intently. “it's not up to me to do that.”

They looked at each other for a few seconds, before she lowered her gaze, sighing heavily and shakily. “Yes... y-you are right. I have to take my r-responsibilities... I'll call A-Asgore... he'll want to know a-about my discovery anyway...” With that she hurried back out of the room. You remained silent, you didn't have any comment to add that wouldn't be sad or awkward.

Flowey was jubilating. Finally, finally he would be a god and mould this world the way he wanted. The moment you had disappeared with Sans, he had deduced you would ask for help to that reptilian pathetic excuse of a being. So he had followed close behind to the labs, always making sure to stay hidden. He had watched the machine extract that power. A maniacal, satisfied grin had taken over his lips at the sight of the tube filled with red sparks. He just had to rush to the King's castle and take the souls while he would be there. Then, he would just have to come back here and take this new source of power. It was perfect. Hihihihihi. He hurried to the castle to find the King was gone. Perfect, perfect! His leaves were almost shaking with excitement. He finally reached the room where the souls had always been kept. No... No! No! Damn human! You couldn't just be jeopardizing all his plans so easily! No! No!

 

“i'd say the spell they cast on ya got glued to your determination. or your soul's power at least.” Sans was saying, as you were both talking about this whole situation.

“Asgore will b-be there any time now. I asked h-him to bring the souls.” Alphys stated as she came back into the room full of beds where you had moved back to, obtaining your attentions. And, right on cue, you all heard approaching heavy steps in echoing in the corridor.

“Howdy.” a deep and calm voice greeted you three.

The King's tall silhouette emerged from the hallway. He seemed gentle, welcoming. An image that contrasted greatly with the only one you had. Each of his large hands were carrying three cylinders containing hearts of different colours. You immediately recognized them as souls, but their monochromatic natures surprised you.

“I didn't believe we would meet in this manner, human.” he ducked his face for a few seconds, before he smiled at you. “This way we can share a cup of tea when all this is over.”

“Your Majesty.” you greeted him back finally. But most of your attention was on the souls. “If I may ask... do you plan to destroy the barrier with these? And... why do they have just one colour?”

“By absorbing the souls, I will gain enough power to free us from the Underground.” he nodded.

“they belonged to kids.” Sans replied about the souls.

You stared back at him in horror, before you turned your gaze back to the shameful King, who had lowered his head again. “I... see.” You didn't want to dwell on this. “You know, I don't know if humans are ready. I didn't have much time to see how much my species has changed but... you are just a legend for them now. I know you find life to be difficult down here, it's far from perfect, I understand... but if you break the barrier, you expose yourself and your people to another war. You want to leave the safe place you have made for yourself without knowing what you are getting into.”

This was surely selfish of you to say so, even if your suppositions could be true. You had just found happiness again after seemingly losing it forever. You couldn't bear the idea of facing a new war again, so soon. Especially because, knowing Papyrus he would want to fight for the monsters while being unable to hurt the humans. He would probably die. And Sans... you didn't even know if Sans knew how to fight. You didn't even want to imagine it.

“It doesn't matter if humans are ready or not... they will perish if they stand in our way.” the King's voice had lowered into a growl, sending a shiver down your spine.

“Then you will kill a lot of innocent children and leave a blood train behind you...” you said grimly. “I am sure this is not what you want, King Asgore.” The way his face contorted in guilt and sorrow was enough to tell you that it was right.

As you were both talking, Sans remained silent. It didn't matter to him whether or not the monsters left the Underground or not. He had his little brother, he had his habits, his friends and you. And in the back of his mind, there was still the thought of a possible reset. Something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. He turned his face quickly to see a flash of yellow behind a corner. Rising an eyebrow, he took his hand out of his pocket. Wrapped in a blue aura, he brought the intruder into view. Pearls of sweat were breaking on Flowey's face.

“Y-you...” Alphys whispered in a breath, staring at the flower with wide eyes. And so did you.

“H-Howdy... I...” Flowey started hesitantly. And in that moment he knew... he fucked up. He tried to reset, but without the soul, and with you still there... he was still powerless.

Sans' eyes turned black. Scattered memories of that flower were coming back. A vibrant blue appeared in his left socket and with a gesture of his hand, Flowey went crashing into the wall with a yelp. Keeping his intense stare on him and his magical grip on him, Sans spoke up.

“bring me a cylinder.”

Alphys rushed out of the room and came back within a few minutes with the container. Sans didn't waste any time to throw the flower into it. Flowey tried to struggle and protest, throwing pellets that Sans dodged easily, but he locked him inside it anyway. He started to beg, but the glass was thick enough to muffle his voice. Sans, his eyes going back to normal, kept an eye on him while he listened to the conversation.

You wanted to ask who this really was, but the distress on Alphys' face held you back. This wasn't your business anyway. As long as this creature was under control, you were fine with it. Asgore was confused as he never seen this flower before – not in this timeline anyway – but he didn't get the chance to ask what was going on, before you spoke again.

“This is your choice of course, King Asgore. But... it seems you have already too much on your conscience.” you looked away sadly. Your goal wasn't to guilt-trip him, you meant what you were saying, but you had much to lose as well. “You can destroy the barrier and risk everything, or you can try and improve the living conditions here.”

The King was silent, yet you could see he was considering your words, staring at the the souls thoughtfully. You didn't add anything, and walked to Sans, who was still staring at the trapped flower intently. You wrapped both your arms around him and lied your head on his shoulder. You felt his hand sneak around you and rest on your hip. You kept your gaze on the pondering King. This wasn't your decision to make after all. You just hoped that whatever he would choose would bring you a happy future with your dear skeletons. And if it didn't... at least for a few moments lost in time, life had been good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "This is the end, hold your breath and count to ten..." ♫ Well eleven actually.
> 
> No need to ask me whether Asgore chooses to destroy the barrier or not, this is an open ending: you choose.
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed this story til the very end. I could have added some scenes between reader and Sans, more hints and such, something a bit more progressive, but they didn't come to mind, and I am good with the way it is. Now, if you tell that it's rushed and it feels weird, I might add scenes. If you think it's alright, I'll leave it like this.
> 
> Anyway! Thank you all for your support. I didn't expect this story to receive so much love. All the best to you people!


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